Pathways of psychosocial factors, stress, and health outcomes after liver transplantation

• Published in: Clinical transplantation Vol. 26; no. 2; pp. 216 - 222
• Main Authors: Stilley, Carol S., Flynn, William B., Sereika, Susan M., Stimer, Erin D., DiMartini, Andrea F., deVera, Michael E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.03.2012; Wiley
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Adult; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Family Relations; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental immunology; health; Health Status; Hostility; Humans; liver transplant; Liver Transplantation - psychology; Liver, biliary tract, pancreas, portal circulation, spleen; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; psychosocial factors; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Quality of Life; Social Support; stress; Stress, Psychological - etiology; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Surgery of the digestive system; Tissue, organ and graft immunology; Prognosis; Digestive system; Liver; health; Psychosocial factor; Homotransplantation; Stress; Medicine; Treatment; psychosocial factors; Surgery; Evolution; Graft; liver transplant; Public health; Liver transplantation
• ISSN: 0902-0063; 1399-0012
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-0012.2011.01467.x

Stilley CS, Flynn WB, Sereika SM, Stimer ED, DiMartini AF, deVera ME. Pathways of psychosocial factors, stress, and health outcomes after liver transplantation. 
Clin Transplant 2011 DOI: 10.1111/j.1399‐0012.2011.01467.x. 
© 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S. :  The impact of stress and individual factors on health outcomes in general medicine and transplantation are well documented. Few researchers have investigated the complex relationships between these constructs. This longitudinal study assessed coping style, self‐regulatory ability, hostility, and social support at baseline among a cohort of 130 adult liver transplant recipients at the Starzl Transplant Institute, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and followed those subjects with interview and medical records data about personal and transplant‐related stress, physical and mental health outcomes throughout the first post‐transplant year. Results show a number of strong bidirectional relationships between coping style, self‐regulatory ability, hostility, the caregiver relationship and family environment, personal and transplant‐related stress over the second half of the first post‐transplant year, and health (especially mental) outcomes at 12 months post‐transplant. Stress mediates the relationship between psychosocial factors and mental health outcomes. The importance of those relationships to researchers and clinicians is discussed.