The psychological impact of end-stage lung disease.

STUDY OBJECTIVES End-stage lung disease is associated with poor quality of life and increased risk for psychological distress. Despite the significant number of individuals with end-stage lung diseases, the emotional health of these patients, as compared with those with other chronic organ diseases, is not well-known. The purpose of this article is to elucidate personality styles and the presence of psychopathology in a clinical sample of patients with end-stage lung disease presenting for possible lung transplantation. DESIGN Cross-sectional survey. SETTING Two academic medical center transplant programs. PARTICIPANTS Two hundred forty-three consecutively referred transplant candidates. RESULTS Cluster analysis of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)-2 indicated five different personality styles. The majority of patients evidenced mild somatic and depressive symptoms. Approximately one fourth of the sample exhibited marked anxiety and mood disturbances. A small cluster also evidenced features consistent with an antisocial personality style. CONCLUSIONS Separate and distinct personality styles that could affect quality of life, the need for adjunct treatments, and medical compliance emerged from this sample of individuals with end-stage lung disease. Results are discussed in light of prior research on other end-stage organ conditions and in relation to personality and coping theories.