Kidney donors' quality of life and subjective evaluation at 2 years after donation

The aim of this study was to investigate the quality of life of renal donors and their subjective evaluation of the donation during long-term follow-up.

We interviewed 11 donors 2 to 3 years after kidney donation. The interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed by qualitative content analysis based on grounded theory. We grouped the resulting categories to form ideal types of subjective outcome after kidney donation.

Of the donors, 64% were female. Mean age was 40.4 years. All donors reported that they had had no medical problems after donation. Most donors experienced some form of psychological problem, such as difficulties adjusting to the new situation at home, hypochondriacal complaints and heightened awareness of bodily sensations, and fear of rejection of the recipient's kidney. Most of the donors felt their relationship to the recipient was good; some had ambivalent feelings toward the kidney recipient. Three main ideal types of donors can be differentiated: the "happy helper," the "ambivalent partner," and the "hypochondriacal complainer."

Although donors' subjective outcome after living kidney donation seems to be generally positive, it is worthwhile for the clinician to look for possible psychological problems after donation. Relating a donor to one of the described ideal types may help identify specific difficulties and guide the tailoring of individual psychological interventions. All interviewed donors wished for extended counseling after kidney donation.