Depression and copingstyles after a liver transplant

Abstract

：Objective To describedepression in liver transplant(LT)recipients and explore their coping styles.Methods Onehundred transplant recipients were divided into three groups according to the time afterLT:one to six months after the operation(group1),six months to one year(group2)and one tothree years after the operation(group3).A self-rating depression scale(SDS)was used tomeasure their depression levels,and a Medical Coping Modes questionnaire(MCMQ)Was used toinvestigate their coping styles.The results were compared with those from a generalpopulation,and the relevance of depression symptoms and coping styles was analysed.Results The average SDS score of all the LT recipients was 41.03±7.14(42.90±7.18 forgroup 1.40.71±7.97 for group 2 and 39.69±6.00 for group 3).The average depression scoresof the three groups were all significantly higher than in the normal population,but therewas no statistically significant difference among the three groups.The depression scoreswere negatively correlated with the confrontation aspect of coping style,while positivelycorrelated with avoidance and resignation.Conclusion LT recipients tend to bedepressed,and the level of depression is strongly related with their coping styles.