Partnership Satisfaction in Living Kidney Donors

Abstract

Due to organ shortage, living kidney donation is gaining increasing importance. Medical progress enables a successful transplantation between unrelated individuals, even individuals with AB0-incompatibilities. Spouses are the largest group of living kidney donors. The aim of this study was to assess partnership status and partnership satisfaction in living kidney donors. In the cross-sectional study we investigated 361 living kidney donors. The time since donation ranged between 1 and 38 years. The partnership satisfaction was assessed with the German version of the Quality of Marriage Index. We compared the donor sample with a representative German population sample (n = 1995). In addition, we compared donors who have donated to their partner (spouse donors) to those who have donated to someone else (non-spouse donors). In comparison to the population sample significantly more kidney donors were living in a relationship (82 vs. 60%). Most donors reported an unchanged (76.6%) or improved (20.5%) relationship to the recipient since transplantation. A significantly higher partnership satisfaction could be found in the donor sample compared to the population sample which was mainly due to a higher partnership satisfaction of the spouse donors compared to the non-spouse donors. High partnership satisfaction in living kidney donors might be an indicator for a successful selection process before transplantation. Alternatively, kidney donation might have a stabilizing or even positive impact on the partnership. Due to the design of our study causative interpretations cannot be made. Therefore, prospective studies are required to assess partnership satisfaction before and after living kidney donation.

Family functioning before kidney transplantation from living-related donors: Perspectives of donors and recipients in Japan.

“…This study suggests that family functioning differs depending on relative type. Donors with interspousal LKT have higher partnership satisfaction than donors with nonspousal LKT (Nöhre et al, 2018). It is possible that differences in family formation affect family dynamics (e.g., parents and children are related by birth, whereas spouses are related by marriage).…”

“…A thematic synthesis of qualitative studies found that the recipient will also have living kidney transplantation (LKT)-specific feelings toward their family, such as feeling the burden of obligation to receive a kidney from a family member (Ralph et al, 2017). Some studies in Western countries have focused only on the donor–recipient relationship after LKT (Nöhre et al, 2018; Ralph et al, 2017). However, these methods for assessing the pretransplant relationship after transplantation cannot rule out the influence of recall bias.…”

Risk factors for loss to follow‐up and outcomes after kidney donation in New Caledonian living donors

“…13 Nöhre et al showed a higher partnership satisfaction among spousal donors compared to non-spousal donors. 14 Another study highlighted that single and divorced men's lack of social support may represent an obstacle to work resumption following living kidney donation. 15 Our study cannot allow us to explore this finding, but the literature shows a link between a good donation experience and being the recipient's partner.…”

“…Regarding the donor‐recipient relationship as a protector to loss to follow up, a study has shown a link between getting married and a higher chance of getting transplanted 13 . Nöhre et al showed a higher partnership satisfaction among spousal donors compared to non‐spousal donors 14 . Another study highlighted that single and divorced men's lack of social support may represent an obstacle to work resumption following living kidney donation 15 .…”

Risk Assessment and Management for Potential Living Kidney Donors: The Role of “Third-Party” Commission

“…Living-donor transplantation represents an alternative—not a substitution—to the waiting list for a deceased donor organ. Nevertheless, living transplant often is the only treatment option to improve or save the life of patients with an end-stage kidney failure ( 18 ). It is well known that living-donor organ transplants are associated with fewer complications than cadaver transplants, a better outcome, and a longer survival time of the donor organ ( 7 , 17 , 18 ).…”