Understanding Psychological Distress and Emotion Regulation among Living Kidney Donors

Description

Page: 549-553

Nilam Gogda and Kamayani Mathur (Department of Psychology, School of Psychology, Philosophy & Education, Gujarat University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat)

This research examines the differences in psychological distress (anxiety, stress, & depression) and emotion regulation (expressive suppression & cognitive reappraisal) between kidney donors and non-donors, as well as gender differences in these variables. Additionally, it explores the correlations between psychological distress and emotion regulation among kidney donors. The sample consisted of 80 participants from Ahmedabad city (40 kidney donors, 40 non-donors; ages 20-60; equally divided by gender) through purposive sampling. Psychological distress was assessed using the Anxiety, Stress, and Depression Scale (Bhatnagar et al., 2011) and emotion regulation was assessed with the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (Gross et al., 2003). Statistical analyses, including t-tests and correlations, revealed that kidney donors reported significantly higher anxiety, stress, and depression levels compared to non-donors, with the largest mean differences in anxiety and stress. Kidney donors also engaged more in expressive suppression and less in cognitive reappraisal. Gender comparisons showed both male and female donors had higher anxiety and stress levels, greater reliance on expressive suppression, and lower use of cognitive reappraisal compared to non-donor counterparts. Among kidney donors, cognitive reappraisal showed a positive correlation with depression, while expressive suppression was positively correlated with anxiety. These findings indicate that kidney donation is associated with increased psychological distress and less adaptive emotion regulation strategies. These results suggest that addressing psychological distress and improving emotion regulation through interventions is essential for supporting kidney donors’ well-being.