Relationship Between Stress Coping Mechanisms and Depression in Kidney Transplant Recipients

Background: It has been reported that transplant recipients are exposed to physical and psychosocial stresses even after transplant surgery and exhibit psychological disorders such as depression. Purpose: In this study, we extracted trends concerning how recipients of kidney transplants cope with stress, and we also examined how they cope with depression and its countermeasures. Method: We administered questionnaire surveys to 109 kidney transplant recipients. These included items on personal attributes, medical information, depression, and stress-coping type scales. Statistical analysis was performed using factor analysis and multiple regression analysis. Results: Fifteen out of 109 (13.8%) were found to be high-risk patients for depression based on responses to the questionnaire using the depression scale. We extracted 2 factors of stress-coping type, namely Factor 1, “Directly coping with the problem,” of patients who try to directly resolve the problem in a positive manner and Factor 2, “Stress-release while avoiding the problem,” for those who relieve their feelings in response to the stress without resolving the problem itself. When multiple regression analysis was conducted with the depression scale as the dependent variable and the stress-coping factor as the independent variable, Factor 1 tended to be associated with reduced depression and Factor 2 with increased depression. Conclusions: Results showed that to improve the mental health of those who receive kidney transplants, it is necessary to examine the depression and stress-coping types of such patients at an early stage and carry out education on stress-coping, focusing on resolving the actual problem.