Waiting for a kidney transplant, a source of unavoidable but reversible anxiety: a prospective pilot study investigating a psychological intervention

• Published in: Journal of nephrology Vol. 36; no. 3; pp. 841 - 849
• Main Authors: Courtillié, Emmanuelle, Fromage, Benoit, Augusto, Jean-François, Saulnier, Patrick, Subra, Jean-François, Bonnaud-Antignac, Angélique
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.04.2023
• Subjects: Anxiety; Female; Humans; Kidney Transplantation; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; NCT; NCT02690272; Nephrology; Original Article; Pilot Projects; Prospective Studies; Psychosocial Intervention; Urology; Anxiety; Waiting list; Psychological intervention; Kidney transplantation
• ISSN: 1724-6059; 1724-6059
• DOI: 10.1007/s40620-022-01535-2

Background Kidney transplantation is the treatment of choice for end-stage renal disease. Psychological problems and the presence of high anxiety have been described at various times over the course of transplantation, starting early at inclusion on the waiting-list. The objective of this study was to investigate anxiety symptoms among patients waiting for a transplant and the efficacy of a psychological intervention in the management of the anxiety. Methods In this prospective trial, 30 patients waiting for a first kidney transplantation were included. Medico-psycho-sociodemographic data were collected. Anxiety symptoms were assessed at inclusion using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory self-assessment questionnaire for state anxiety (Spielberger and Vagg in Inventaire d’anxiété état-trait, forme Y (STAI-Y) Paris, 1993). A second assessment was carried out after the psychological intervention, which consisted of three sessions conducted by a clinical psychologist. Results Anxiety scores were considerably higher in females compared to males (47.5 versus 33.0, p  < 0.023) and among those who had a psychological treatment history (60 versus 37, p  = 0.003). We found a correlation between the level of anxiety and the length of time spent on the waiting-list ( r  = 0.552, p  = 0.002). Importantly, anxiety scores decreased significantly (44 versus 32, p  < 0.0001) after the psychological intervention. Conclusion This study suggests that early psychological support allows improving anxiety symptoms in patients wait-listed for a kidney transplant. Trial registration Clinical trial NCT02690272. Graphical abstract