The psychological impact of end-stage lung disease

Study objectives: End-stage lung disease is associated with poor quality of life and increased risk for psychological distress. Despite the significan t number of individuals with end-stage lung diseases, the emotional health of these patients, as compared with those with other chronic organ diseases , is not well-known. The purpose of this article is to elucidate personalit y styles and the presence of psychopathology in a clinical sample of patien ts with end-stage lung disease presenting for possible lung transplantation . Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Two academic medical center transplant programs. Participants: Two hundred forty-three consecutively referred transplant can didates. Results: Cluster analysis of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventor y (MMPI)-2 indicated five different personality styles. The majority of pat ients evidenced mild somatic and depressive symptoms. Approximately one fou rth of the sample exhibited marked anxiety and mood disturbances. A small c luster also evidenced features consistent with an antisocial personality st yle. Conclusions: Separate and distinct personality styles that could affect qua lity of life, the need for adjunct treatments, and medical compliance emerg ed from this sample of individuals with end-stage lung disease. Results are discussed in light of prior research on other end-stage organ conditions a nd in relation to personality and coping theories.