Fear of graft rejection 1-5 years after lung transplantation-A nationwide cohort study.
Anna Forsberg, Madeleine Nilsson, Sofie Jakobsson and 2 others
PMID 30338093WHAT IT FOUND
Most lung transplant recipients report low fear of graft rejection.
However, those with high intrusive anxiety have significantly lower psychological well-being and self-efficacy. Nurses should screen for this anxiety to target self-management support.
Key findings
0175% of lung transplant recipients reported low perceived threat of graft rejection, and only 6% had problematic intrusive anxiety.
02Intrusive anxiety was strongly related to lower psychological well-being and explained 24.7% of the variance in well-being scores.
03Patients older than 50 years reported higher levels of intrusive anxiety than younger patients.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The cross-sectional design means the study cannot prove that anxiety causes lower well-being or self-efficacy, only that they are associated. Data were self-reported, which may be subject to recall bias or social desirability bias. Recruitment occurred during routine follow-ups, so patients who were too unwell to attend or who declined participation were excluded, potentially underestimating fear in the most distressed patients. The study was conducted in Sweden with Swedish-speaking participants, which may limit generalizability to other cultural or healthcare contexts.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that low overall fear of graft rejection means the problem is negligible. Although only 6% of patients had high anxiety, this anxiety was strongly linked to reduced psychological well-being and self-efficacy, suggesting that the minority affected experience significant distress that impacts their ability to manage their health.