IS SATISFACTION WITH KIDNEY-TRANSPLANTATION INFLUENCED BY PERSONALITYAND POSTTRANSPLANT SIDE-EFFECTS

Kidney transplant recipients ave often unprepared for the iatrogenic s equelae of transplantation and frequently express dissatisfaction with pretransplant information about potential complications and medicatio n side effects. In severe cases, they express overall dissatisfaction with the transplant surgery. This study of 112 kidney transplant recip ients explored the role of pretransplant neuroticism, a personality tr ait characterized by negative mood, and posttransplant self-report and hospitalization in determining satisfaction with pretransplant inform ation and overall satisfaction with the transplant surgery. Results sh owed that higher pretransplant neuroticism predicted the reporting of more posttransplant side effects. Posttransplant satisfaction with pre transplant information was predicted by a subjective measure, i.e., re port of posttransplant side effects. In contrast, overall satisfaction with kidney transplantation was predicted by an objective measure-num ber of hospital admissions-during the immediate 6-month postoperative period.