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Objective: Liver transplantation offers a quality life chance for children and adolescents who have a serious liver disease. Chronic illness, invasive interferences, hospitalization of the transplantation and stay in the intensive care unit, medication compliance and side effects, and complications after transplantation cause a significant degree of mental stress and may lead to a deterioration of mental health. This study aimed to evaluate the psychological difficulties of children after liver transplantation.
Methods: This randomized controlled trial included 48 liver transplant patients between 4-18 years of age who had received liver transplants in the İnonu University Turgut Ozal Medical Center transplant unit, 37 patients with chronic liver disease and 50 healthy children and adolescents. Families of children and adolescents participating in this study filled the sociodemographic data form and parents form of Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Literate children age seven years and older and adolescents answered The Child Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Scale (CPSS); those 11 years and over answered SDQ self-report form.
Results: There was no difference between the three groups in terms of age and gender (p<0.05). Comparing CPSS scores of the groups, there was no significant difference between chronic liver disease and transplant patients groups; it was determined that chronic liver disease and transplant patient groups scored significantly higher than the healthy group (p<0.05). Significant differences were not detected in terms of GGA-total and subscale scores between the three groups.
Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the mental state of children with chronic liver disease and liver transplant is similar to healthy controls. However, the presence of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder in children in the two groups suggested that they are at risk in this regard.