Psychological Health of the Adolescent Transplant Recipient

Solid organ transplant recipients experience a period of unique vulnerability during adolescence, when normative developmental changes intersect with health-related variables to influence psychological health.

This article builds on previous reviews of psychological health in solid organ transplant recipients and proposes opportunities for clinical intervention during adolescence.

Transplant recipients often experience neurocognitive changes, particularly with respect to executive functions, that impact health management tasks and autonomous care. Recipients should be monitored for the development of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress symptoms during adolescence, which in turn can negatively impact adherence to immunosuppression. Recent research in posttraumatic growth and resiliency factors may represent a promising avenue of intervention, leveraging normative developmental processes during this time period.

As pediatric transplant providers, adolescence represents a developmental period for targeted interventions to foster adjustment and adherence and promote a successful transition to adult care.