Defining the Psychological Profile of Living Organ Donors Using Personality Assessment Inventory
1Division of Psychiatry, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, 2Division of Renal Diseases and Hypertension, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, 3Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, 4Division of Transplant Surgery, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO
Meeting: 2020 American Transplant Congress
Abstract number: C-160
Keywords: Graft acceptance, Living donor, Psychiatric comorbidity, Psychosocial
Session Information
Session Name: Poster Session C: Liver: Living Donors and Partial Grafts
Session Type: Poster Session
Date: Saturday, May 30, 2020
Session Time: 3:15pm-4:00pm
Presentation Time: 3:30pm-4:00pm
Location: Virtual
*Purpose: We aim to assess the psychological profile of living organ donors using normative referenced psychological assessment of personality and pathology.
*Methods: Evaluation for living kidney and liver organ donation at our center includes psychological evaluation. We administered the personality assessment inventory (PAI), a normative referenced objective assessment of personality and psychopathology variables. Results generated from the assessment include 4 validity scales, 11 clinical scales, and 5 treatment scales. Variability from the mean in a score (50T) represents unique attributes for the individual patient when compared to a normative patient as defined by the test development. To develop a profile of unique attributes of live organ donors Cohen’s d effect sizes were calculated for all scales and sub scales with a conservative adjustment of d=0.7 or greater to define large effect size.
*Results: Between 2018 – 2019, 324 living organ donors underwent psychological assessment using PAI (291 directed donors (DD) and 33 non-directed donors (NDD); 57% female and 83% Caucasian). Large effect sizes were found in scales related to absence of psychotic symptoms (d= .83), borderline personality traits (d=0.70), aggressive behavior (d=0.78), and environmental stress (d=0.71). Large effect sizes were also found in scales related to higher than average treatment rejection (d=0.80) and high perceived social support (d=0.92). At the sub-scale level, findings showed large effect sizes in low somatization (d=0.74), low sense of persecution (d= 0.73), low psychotic experiences (d=0.85), low affective instability (d=0.70), and low aggressive attitude (d=0.90).
*Conclusions: Living organ donors present as realistically minded, stable in personality, low in aggression, and without significant environmental stress. Donors also believe that they are well supported socially and do not have psychosomatic complaints. Donor PAI characterization can inform the transplant community in donor selection.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Branagan WT, Huett S, Grafals M, Jackson WE, Pomfret EA. Defining the Psychological Profile of Living Organ Donors Using Personality Assessment Inventory [abstract]. Am J Transplant. 2020; 20 (suppl 3). https://atcmeetingabstracts.com/abstract/defining-the-psychological-profile-of-living-organ-donors-using-personality-assessment-inventory/. Accessed May 14, 2025.« Back to 2020 American Transplant Congress