Quality of life and self-efficacy among parents of children after transplantation: a pilot study

Abstract

Background: Organ transplantation often proves to be the only way to save a young patient’s life. However, it is associated with a long-term stay in the hospital and the need to change the lifestyle of not only the patients but also their entire family. This largely affects the child’s family situation as well as the relationships between their relatives. Therefore, it is important to determine the factors that have the greatest impact on the quality of life (QoL) of the parents after transplantation and their self-efficacy assessment. This will facilitate providing parents in need with help and showing them support.Aim of the study: This research aimed to assess the QoL and self-efficacy among parents of children after organ transplantation, as well as the correlation between QoL and self-efficacy. Material and methods: The study was conducted using a shortened version of the Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL BREF), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), as well as a self-designed questionnaire. The research group consisted of 54 people, of which 49 questionnaires were subject to statistical analysis. Results: The sten score for the level of satisfaction with life in the research group was 5.88. QoL in the physical and mental domains was on average (M = 12.93 and M = 13.04, respectively), and in the social and environmental domains (M = 16.40 and M = 15.09, respectively). The sten score for the level of self-efficacy assessed by the respondents was 7.09. A relationship between the level of perceived self-efficacy and QoL was observed.Conclusions: This study indicates an average level of satisfaction with life, average to high results in terms of QoL, and a fairly high level of self-efficacy, which had an impact on the QoL of parents of children after transplantation.