Psychological distress among caregivers to heart transplant recipients

To test the hypothesis that family caregivers to heart transplant recipients may experience higher than average levels of distress during the period post-transplant and explore the correlates of distress, 83 caregivers were interviewed 3 times during the first year post-transplant and evaluated on predisposing and psychosocial characteristics. Mean distress was significantly elevated above community norms at initial assessment but subsided as the year progressed. Multiple regression analyses showed that: (a) employment status and caregivers' physical health were strong predictors of post-transplant distress while psychiatric history was not; (b) the burden of caregiving was associated with increased distress early post-transplant but not in later months; and (c) intrapersonal and social support resources early post-transplant were associated with distress both short-term and long-term. Interventions targeted at these environmental and personal factors may be important for minimizing negative effects of the transplant experience on family caregivers.