End-stage renal disease (ESRD), a chronic illness, is recognized as part of the palliative care group. It has been observed that the living conditions and psychology of the relatives, who are an essential part of the challenging treatment process, are affected as much as the patients themselves (Arık, 2013). Socio-psychological support is believed to play a crucial role alongside medical support in the journey towards a quality life for ESRD patients (Arıkan, 2016). This study focuses on the potential psychological difficulties and life satisfaction of first-degree relatives of ESRD patients during the caregiving process. The research aims to compare the emotional states of relatives of patients who have the possibility of a kidney transplant versus those who do not, due to comorbid conditions, and to understand how these values influence each other. The question posed is: Are the psychological states, stress levels, life satisfaction, and personality patterns of patient relatives with and without the chance of transplantation different? This quantitative study was conducted between February 2023 and May 2024 with patient relatives living in İstanbul, Ankara, Kocaeli, and Rize. A total of 687 relatives (529 women and 158 men) of dialysis patients were interviewed. Data were collected through surveys using the Sociodemographic Information Form, Adult Life Satisfaction Scale, Vancouver Obsessive Compulsive Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, and Beck Anxiety Inventory. To eliminate the potential confounding effects of personality disorders, SCID-5 was used. Pearson Correlation was applied to examine the interaction between life satisfaction, psychological symptoms, OCD symptoms, and personality patterns among relatives of ESRD patients. Hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to predict the same information. Independent sample t-tests were used to compare scores of life satisfaction, psychological symptoms, OCD symptoms, and personality patterns among patient relatives based on social and demographic variables. The scale scores were checked using skewness and kurtosis values and histograms, determining the suitability for parametric tests. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 27.0, with values below 0.05 considered statistically significant. The analysis results indicate that the psychological states, stress levels, life satisfaction, and personality patterns of patient relatives with and without the chance of transplantation differ partially. Significant correlations were found between the personality organization of ESRD patient relatives and their levels of stress, depression, and life satisfaction. This study found that being a relative of an ESRD patient negatively affects the life satisfaction of those with dependent personality traits. No significant difference was observed in terms of depression and anxiety in relatives showing OCD patterns. Relatives who could not accept the illness exhibited narcissistic traits, while relatives of male patients scored higher in personality assessments. Male participants in the study reported higher life satisfaction scores. The presence of comorbid conditions hindering kidney transplantation in ESRD patients was found to be related to dimensions of personality disorders in their relatives, specifically Avoidant Personality Disorder, Dependent Personality Disorder, and Antisocial Personality Disorder.
Stress, Depression, Anxiety, Life Satisfaction, Organ Transplant, OCD, Dialysis