Psychological repercussions of bone marrow transplants on related donors

The development of bone marrow transplantation (BMT) in the last decades allowed the treatment of diseases which were invariably deadly beforehand. Among the types of transplantations recently accomplished, the allogenic demands the active participation of a member of the family, usually the brother, who donates the bone marrow. The aim of the present study is to analyze the psychological repercussions of this donation in the related donors. The sample was composed of ten subjects, linked to the Unit of Bone Marrow Transplantation of the HCFMRP-USP. The applied instruments were: interview script, scales e projective techniques. The results demonstrate that the level of anxiety of the subjects is the expected, but stress symptoms also appear. The individuals stated they felt anxious, painful and worried the day after the donation, but they believe that the donation was much easier than they had expected. Finally, in relation to the data of the projective techniques, higher levels of emotional susceptibility, sugestionability and dependence were detected.

Bone marrow transplantation; Stress; Anxiety; Related donor