Psychosocial Burden in Parents of Pediatric Liver Transplant Recipients

Aim: To evaluate anxiety, depression, perceived stress, and sleep quality in the parents of children who underwent liver transplantation in Turkey. The impact of other factors on mental health status were also examined. Method: This was a single-center, cross-sectional study including the parents of 50 children after liver transplantation. Major sociodemographic variables included parental age, sex, education, chronic disease, and immigration status. We also recorded children’s demographics, transplant-related data, follow-up findings, and mental health status. Instruments for psychiatric assess-ment included the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7; anxiety), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9; depression), Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10; stress), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI; sleep quality). Results: We enrolled 50 parents of 50 pediatric liver transplant recipients (28 fathers, 22 mothers, mean age: 40.10 ± 6.65). Time since transplantation showed weak negative correlations with PHQ-9 and GAD-7. Stress (PSS) levels had weak to strong positive correlations with PSQI, PHQ-9, and GAD-7. Sleep quality (PSQI) was positively correlated with PHQ-9 and GAD-7. Depressive findings (PHQ-9) were strongly and positively correlated with GAD-7. High PHQ-9 scores were found to be independently associated with shorter time since transplant (p=0.006) and high PSS (p=0.011). High GAD-7 scores were independently associated with shorter time since transplant (p=0.034) and high PSS (p=0.005). Conclusion: The parents of pediatric liver transplant recipients experience high levels of stress, sleep issues, depression, and anxiety, which demonstrate multiple correlations.