[The role of psychological representations in kidney transplantation. The reliability and validity of the Hungarian version of Transplanted Organ Questionnaire].

Introduction: According to interdisciplinary research the transplanted organ representations play an important role in successful transplantation.

Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the reliability and validity of the Hungarian version of Transplanted Organ Questionnaire in kidney transplant recipients.

Method: 151 patients were assessed using the Spielberger Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory and the Transplanted Organ Questionnaire. Serum creatinine levels from routine clinical blood tests were collected.

Results: The scale showed good internal consistency (Cronbach-alpha = 0.89; 0.87; 0.80), and the test-retest reliability was excellent. The Transplanted Organ Questionnaire scores moderately correlated with depression, anxiety and posttraumatic growth. The "Psychological rejection" scale correlated with higher serum creatinine level (p = 0.001, t = 5.17).

Conclusions: The reliability and validity of the Hungarian version of Transplanted Organ Questionnaire in the studied sample were excellent. The questionnaire is a useful psychometric tool in the exploration of transplant patients' representations about the donor and the organ.