PREDICTING QUALITY-OF-LIFE WITH A PRETRANSPLANTATION ASSESSMENT BATTERY - A PROSPECTIVE-STUDY OF CARDIAC RECIPIENTS

This study provides descriptive data on the prevalence of symptoms and quality of life of cardiac transplantation recipients and tests the p redictive validity of a pre-cardiac transplantation psychological asse ssment battery on posttransplantation quality of life. Following the f ormation of four cluster groups of pretransplantation MMPI profiles ba sed on previous research, frequency analysis found that the cluster gr oups were not equally represented among cardiac recipients, such that the ''Distressed/Confused'' cluster had only one recipient member. Tes ts of significance among the three remaining cluster groups on the pos ttransplantation quality of life variables found no significant differ ences. Regression analyses to test the predictive validity of other pr etransplantation medical and psychological variables indicated that tr ait anxiety was a significant predictor of increased symptom frequency and symptom problems and decreased mental health among recipients. Co llectively, modest support was found for the use of pretransplantation psychological variables as predictors of posttransplantation quality of life. Interpretation of psychological test data in the context of o ther psychosocial variables is discussed.