Preoperative and trait anxiety in kidney recipients prior to transplantation surgery

Objective：We examined the preoperative mood and trait anxiety among kidney transplant recipients. Methods：Fifty-seven patients awaiting kidney transplantation participated in this study. A survey was carried out with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Trait (STAI-T) anxiety scale and the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS), and interviews were conducted regarding "anxiety about kidney transplantation surgery." The participants were divided into 2 groups based on their STAI-T scores, and the interview results were compared between the groups. Results：HADS scores were significantly higher in the high trait anxiety group compared to those in the low trait anxiety group. Interview contents were divided into the "Anxiety and concern" category, which occurred at a significantly higher frequency in the high trait anxiety group (70%) compared to the low trait anxiety group (47.8%); the "No anxiety" category, which did not significantly differ between groups; and the "Positive thinking" category, which occurred at a significantly higher frequency in the low trait anxiety group (17.4%) compared to that in the high trait anxiety group (5%). Conclusions：These results suggest that the high trait anxiety group felt strong anxiety and depression, while the low trait anxiety group tended to think optimistically about transplantation surgery. Accordingly, medical staff should perform a more detailed interviews and make every effort to attempt to understand recipients' concerns prior to kidney transplantation surgery.