Journal
TRANSPLANTATION
Volume 98, Issue 12, Pages 1294-1300Publisher
LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS
DOI: 10.1097/TP.0000000000000360
Keywords
Quality of life; Kidney donation; Satisfaction with life; Financial and social support
Categories
Funding
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
- Health Resources and Services Administration
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
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Background. Little is known about living kidney donors' satisfaction with life (SWL) after donation. We compared donors' SWL to previously reported general population samples and investigated predictors of donors' SWL. Methods. Three transplant centers mailed questionnaires to assess SWL, physical health, optimism, retrospective evaluation of the donation experience, and demographic characteristics to living kidney donors' homes between 2010 and 2012. Two thousand four hundred fifty-five donors who were between 5 and 48 years from the time of their donor surgery completed the questionnaire. Results. Eighty-four percent of donors were satisfied with their lives (scores >= 20 on the Satisfaction With Life Scale). Donors were at least as satisfied with their lives as previously reported general population samples. After adjusting for physical health, optimism, and demographics, donors' SWL was significantly associated with donors' recalled experience of donation. Social support and positive effects of the donation on relationships predicted greater SWL. Financial difficulties associated with donation and longer recovery times predicted lower SWL. Recipient outcomes were not significantly related to donor SWL. Discussion. Limitations include the lack of predonation SWL data, potential bias in postdonation SWL because of the situational context of the questionnaire, and a sample that is not representative of all U.S. living kidney donors. Nonetheless, strategies focused on improving the donation experience, particularly related to recovery time, financial issues, and social support, may result in greater SWL after donation.
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