EMOTIONAL ADJUSTMENT AND PERCEIVED LOCUS OF CONTROL IN HEART-TRANSPLANT PATIENTS

Orthotopic heart transplantation has been established as a routine cli nical operation. In this study, we were interested in: (a) how patient s cope emotionally with the situation pre- and postsurgically, especia lly with regard to anxiety and depression; and (b) whether the patient 's perceived locus of control is related to emotional adjustment befor e and after heart transplantation. Twenty patients who were on the wai ting list for heart transplantation with highest priority provided com plete psychological questionnaires presurgically and 20 days after sur gery when intensive care was no longer required. During the waiting pe riod, patients rated high on depression, state and trait anxiety in co mparison with healthy references while ratings on perceived locus of c ontrol scales were within the norm ranges. After surgery, heart transp lant patients experienced significantly less state/trait anxiety and d epression reaching levels which were no longer statistically different from healthy references. While postsurgical ratings of anxiety (state and trait) and depression were not significantly correlated with pres urgical ratings, both were closely related to ratings of locus of cont rol. Belief in powerful others was positively correlated with pre- and postsurgical anxiety and depression. Chance control orientation was r elated only to presurgical emotional disturbances. It can be concluded that emotional adjustment after heart transplantation is more likely to be predicted by presurgical ratings of locus of control than by pre surgical emotional adjustment.