Desire for Control, Coping, and Quality of Life in Heart and Lung Transplant Candidates, Recipients, and Spouses: A Pilot Study

Abstract

To understand the interdependence of couples involved in transplantation, both partners need to be included in the same study. This pilot study explored the desire for control, coping, and quality of life in heart and lung transplant candidates, recipients, and spouses, using McCubbin's Double ABCX Model as the conceptual basis. Sixty letters were mailed to randomly selected candidates and recipients at 2 transplant centers. Twenty-five couples completed a demographic sheet and the following surveys: The Desire for Control Scale, the Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scale, and the Quality of Life Index. There were 9 pretransplant and 16 posttransplant couples. Analyses included measures of central tendency, analysis of variance, t tests, and correlations. There were statistically significant differences between pretransplant patients' quality of life and all other groups. There were moderate correlations between several patient and spouse variables. It was recommended that healthcare professionals include both patients and spouses when planning interventions.