Psychologic Stages in Renal Transplant

Health workers must be aware of the psychologic stages experienced by their patients. We analyzed the influence of the posttransplant time on thoughts (depressive and anxious) and body image perception in renal transplant recipients. The sample consisted of 59 adult patients (mean age ± SD: 45.76 ± 11.44), divided into three groups according to the posttransplant time (1 year, 1 to 2 years, >2 years). Subjects completed a psychosocial interview (sociodemographic and clinical data), the Beck's Cognitions Checklist, and the Garanto Self-concept Scale. Negative thoughts and body image alterations were increased during the first year and from the third year on, with no statistically significant differences between these two periods, but they were appreciable when these periods were compared with the 13- to 24-month interval. Renal transplant recipients may go through three psychologic stages after transplant: alert; coping; and exhaustion.