PURPOSE
To examine the relationships between self-care, social support, and biological markers in liver transplant recipients.
METHODS
The participants included 118 liver transplant recipients who visited outpatient clinic at Y University Hospital in Seoul from April to May, 2013. Questionnaires consisted of self-care and social support scales. The biological markers were collected by reviewing electronic medical records. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA with Scheffe post-hoc test, and Pearson's correlation.
RESULTS
The self-care score was significantly higher in a patient group within 6 months post-transplant when compared to a patient group post-transplant 3 to 5 years (F=3.10, p=.018). The self-care showed positive correlation with social support with statistical significance (r=.36, p<.001).
CONCLUSION
As the self-care in liver transplant recipients had a positive correlation with social support from family and healthcare providers, the development of comprehensive long-term nursing intervention systems including counseling, education, and support in consideration of progress of time period after transplantation is necessary to enhance self-care behaviors among this population.

Citations

• Impact of Mobile Health Literacy, Stroke-Related Health Knowledge, Health Beliefs, and Self-Efficacy on the Self-Care Behavior of Patients with Stroke
  Hana Kim, Aro Han, Hyunjung Lee, Jiwoo Choi, Hyohjung Lee, Mi-Kyoung Cho
  Healthcare.2024; 12(19): 1913.     CrossRef
• Factors Influencing the quality of life of lung transplant patients
  Byung Hee Hwang, Hye Sook Min
  Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing.2023; 16(3): 73.     CrossRef
• Mothers’ experiences of caring for their children with liver transplantation: From sorrow to new determination
  Sooyoung Kim, Sook Jung Kang
  Journal of Child Health Care.2023;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Sleep Quality and Related Factors Among Liver Transplant Recipients in Korea: A Cross-Sectional Study
  Serah LIM, Mona CHOI, Heejung KIM, Jong Man KIM
  Journal of Nursing Research.2023; 31(4): e286.     CrossRef
• Effects of a smartphone-based self-care health diary for heart transplant recipients: A mixed methods study
  Hye Jin Yoo, Eunyoung E. Suh
  Applied Nursing Research.2021; 58: 151408.     CrossRef
• Impact of Self-esteem and Social support on Self-care Performance in Liver Transplantation Recipients
  Hyun Jung Jung, Young-Ju Kim
  The Korean Journal of Rehabilitation Nursing.2020; 23(2): 132.     CrossRef
• Effects of Self-efficacy and Transplant-related Knowledge on Compliance with a Therapeutic Regimen for Recipients of Liver Transplant
  So Jung Moon, Hyun-Ju Kim
  Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing.2019; 26(3): 166.     CrossRef
• Nutritional Status of Liver Transplantation Recipients and Factors Influencing Nutritional Status
  SinYoung Hwang, Smi Choi-Kwon
  Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing.2019; 49(3): 340.     CrossRef
• Structural Equation Modeling of Self-Management of Liver Transplant Recipients
  Mi-Kyeong Jeon, Yeon-Hwan Park
  Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing.2017; 47(5): 663.     CrossRef

The purpose of this study was to understand and describe how people with kidney transplantation experience using grounded theory method. Purposeful sampling was employed. Total of 20 kidney recipients participated in the study. To collect the data 11 individual in-depth interviewes and two focus group interviews were utilized. Each interview took about one hour, ranging from one to three hours and were audio-taped under the permission of the participants. All interviewes were transcribed to analyze. The results of the study show three stages of life process after kidney transplantation; 1) honeymoon stage, 2) anxiety and depression stage: 3) recovery and stable stage. In the honeymoon stage, all kidney recipients were exhilerated after the operation. They were happy receiving healthy kidney from others, often from beloved families. In the anxiety and depression stage, however, they experienced numerous psychosocial problems mainly due to the health, interpersonal, financial, and physical appearance problems. In the recovery and stable stage, they came out from the psychosocial problems by viewing their situation more objectively and by using many effective coping strategies to imporve their quality of life. Nine strategies which were identified as significant are 1) complying therapeutic regimens, 2) seeking information, 3) keeping their own job, 4) restricting social activities, 5) lowering aimes in their life, 6) managing the fact about their own kidney transplantation, 7) comforting themselves by comparing with others, 8) living religious or altruistic life, and 9) accepting redialysis and retransplantation. In the end, most of them experienced changed value system of life. They were satisfied with their current life, and thanked for living so many years after the transplantation. However, some of them, especially younger ones, regreted of losing hope and ambition they had planned when they were young. And many of them also experienced restricted social life, financial difficulties, and continuous fear of rejection of kidney. The results of the study might help nurses who work with kidney recipients in establishing and implementing effective nursing interventions by understanding the stages of life after kidney transplantations as well as their problems and strategies.