Fundamental Aspects for Psychological Evaluation in Pediatric Kidney Transplantation

Abstract

Introduction: Kidney transplantation is the treatment of choice for patients with severe Chronic Kidney Disease, as it offers better survival and quality of life compared to dialysis treatment. Children and adolescents with Chronic Kidney Disease, from a very young age, experience recurrent hospitalizations, undergo painful procedures and exams, in addition to presenting impairments in their physical, cognitive and emotional development, with implications for their self-image, psychosocial issues and adherence to treatment. The psychological assessment in the pre-transplant periodmakes it possible to identify risk factors through the understanding of the individual’sintegraldynamics. Objective: To analyze the fundamental aspects of psychological evaluation in pediatric kidney transplantation. Methods: Integrative review with scientific articles published from 2010 onwards, in Portuguese, Spanish and English, available in the SciELO, PubMed and BVS databases, with a thematic content analysis proposed by Bardin. Results: The results pointed to the scarcity of studies on the subject, especially recent and regionalized studies. Most of the articles did not specifically address psychological assessment in pediatric kidney transplantation, however, they pointed out fundamental aspects to be observed during the assessment, with a prevalence of themes such as: lack of autonomy, negative self-perception, emotionalrepercussions,in family relationships and adherence. Conclusion: Psychological assessment in pediatric kidney transplantation makes it possible to identify risk factors that may contraindicate treatment or create interventions that contribute to positive results. The importance of carrying out more studies in the area is highlighted, considering the sociocultural interference and the work in a multidisciplinary team.