Spouse caregivers of kidney transplant patients: quality of life and psychosocial outcomes.

CONTEXT

Most kidney transplant programs require patients to identify a primary caregiver who can assist them throughout the transplant process. Little is known about the quality of life, caregiving strain, and psychosocial functioning of these caregivers.

OBJECTIVES

To characterize the psychosocial functioning of spouse/partner caregivers.

DESIGN, SETTINGS, AND PARTICIPANTS: Cross-sectional survey administered to spouse/partner caregivers of patients before (n=33) and after (n=46) kidney transplantation at a transplant center in New England.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Quality of life, life satisfaction, caregiving strain and benefit, mood, and social intimacy.

RESULTS

Relative to normative samples and published data involving other transplant caregivers, caregivers of kidney transplant patients had favorable quality of life, life satisfaction, psychological, and social intimacy outcomes. Life satisfaction scores were significantly lower for caregivers before than after kidney transplantation, but otherwise the 2 cohorts did not differ significantly from each other. Most caregivers both before and after kidney transplantation reported clinically high levels of caregiving strain, as well as several caregiving benefits.

CONCLUSION

Our data are consistent with results of other studies in showing that spouses experience considerable caregiving strain both before and after transplantation. However, caregivers of kidney transplant patients overall have good quality of life, life satisfaction, mood, and social intimacy. More prospective research is necessary to characterize better how these outcomes change over time throughout the transplant process.