Liver transplantation: recipients’ evaluation of life from the perspective of living donors

Abstract

Aim: Liver transplantation affects not only recipients and living donors’ lives but also the nature and quality of their relationship. Moreover, the ways in which recipients of liver transplant experience life and views of living donors on how recipients experience life may differ. These differences may account for relational changes. It is also important to understand how recipients and their living donors’ views differ if the aim is to devise psycho-educational programs for recipients and living donors. Therefore, the present study examined the recipients’ experience of life following the diagnosis of ESLF and transplantation surgery from donors’ perspective. Methods: The sample consisted of 16 living donors who donated a part of their liver to a patient with ESLF. Thematic analysis was undertaken in parallel with interviews during which an interview guide was followed. Findings: Donors felt that recipients evaluated life following the diagnosis of ESLF and transplantation surgery in terms of limitations, mixed relationships, emotional changes and improvement in life. Conclusion: Experience of social limitations, negative emotions and the feeling that one is supported by others could be interpreted in terms of existing psychological theory. Some ways of adjusting which were not reported before within the context of ESLF extended the literature. These included others being frightened of being infected by ESLF and being insensitive, experience of positive emotions and ways of improving. Overall, as compared to the findings of previous qualitative work among recipients, these findings suggest that donors’ evaluation of recipients’ lives converge with that of recipients.