Solid organ transplantation has emerged as a standard lifesaving therapeutic modality for children with end-stage organ dysfunction with increasing chances for long-term survival. Nevertheless, pediatric solid organ transplantation is not a cure but an alternative treatment with potentially medical, as well as psychosocial problems for pediatric patients and their parents. Parents having survived their child's life-threatening organ failure and subsequent organ transplant surgery, face chronic problems, such as their child's daily medications, medical post-transplant care and increased risk of susceptibility to illness.

This study examined whether there is a relationship between the change in parents' symptoms of depression from 1 year to 3 years post-transplant with PTSD, anxiety, language, education, and social support as measured at one year post-transplant. Self-report data from 105 primary caregivers of pediatric heart liver or kidney transplant recipients were utilized at one and three-years post-transplant. Self-report instruments included standard measures of psychological functioning. This research is part of a larger longitudinal study of psychosocial predictors of health care utilization of pediatric transplant recipients and functional outcome of their parents. The demographic data for the current study were collected using a brief Family Information Form developed as part of the larger longitudinal study.

Results indicated no significant relationship in the change of depression over time between the English-speaking and primarily Spanish-speaking parents. Similarly, no significant relationship was found between either PTSD or trait anxiety, and the change in depression over time. A hierarchical regression analysis revealed that the demographic variables of social support and education level were significantly related to the change in depression over time. In contrast, PTSD and anxiety did not predict a change in depression when controlling for the demographic variables. Looking at the relative strength of the individual predictors, only social support had a significant predictive contribution to the change in depression.

The relationship of social support and parental depressive symptoms merits further investigation of families and social support. More research is warranted to explore if any particular type of social support, e.g. emotional, informational, or other kind of support, has a greater influence on change in parental depression symptoms.