PERCEIVED STRESS AND COPING STRATEGIES AMONG CANDIDATES FOR HEART-TRANSPLANTATION DURING THE ORGAN WAITING PERIOD

The effectiveness of the transplantation team in diffusing stress duri ng the pretransplantation period is increasingly important the longer the patient remains on the transplant waiting list. This study describ es the stressors and coping strategies of heart transplant candidates during the waiting period. Thirty-nine candidates on the active list f or heart transplantation from four mid-East Coast transplantation cent ers participated. With a possible stress score of 0 to 243, the mean s core for this sample was a low 72.84 (standard deviation = 37.47). The three most common stressors were (1) requiring a heart transplant, (2 ) having terminal heart disease, and (3) worrying family members. The three most common coping strategies were (1) thinking positively, (2) using humor, and (3) trying to keep life as normal as possible. The fi nding of low stress levels was surprising but may reflect the presence of hope or the patient's desire to spare family members worry - a con cern commonly cited by patients. Another explanation is that patients desiring to be perceived as ideal transplant recipients may have under reported their stress. This suggests that the transplantation team sho uld support positive coping strategies when possible and that both pat ient and family coping should be closely monitored throughout the wait ing period.