Research group Transplant Psychology

  • Description
  • Description

    In close connection to our clinical work, a large part of our research refers to psychosocial aspects in the context of terminal liver, kidney, lung and heart diseases - especially if an organ transplantation is necessary. This includes health care needs, quality of life, cognitive functioning, and adherence in patients before and after transplantation, as well as alcohol consumption in patients requiring liver transplantation for alcoholic liver disease.

    In children before and after organ transplantation, our research focuses on the patients’ cognitive functioning and the psychosocial distress in patients as well as their families.

    Another field of research is concerned with living donation in liver and kidney transplantation, especially the donors’ quality of life and their psychosocial eligibility.

    Furthermore, transplant psychology also includes deceased organ donation as a research topic.

    • SoLKiD - Safety of Living Kidney Donors: Somatic and psychosocial consequences of living kidney donation (BMBF, in cooperation with the University Medical Center of Münster, Germany; 2014 – current)
    • ExplainYourBrain! Neuropsychological deficits and morphological and functional changes in the prefrontal cortex of children after liver transplantation (Friede-Springer-Stiftung, 2011/4-2014/4)
    • Psychosocial distress of children after liver transplantation and their families: Care needs and utilization of psychosocial care (Friedrich und Louise Homann-Stiftung, Jovita-Stiftung, Paul und Helmi-Nitsch-Stiftung, "Hamburg macht Kinder gesund e.V.", 2006/4-2012/12)
    • Development of a screening instrument assessing psychosocial eligibility of living liver donors and a questionnaire of donors' specific health-related quality of life (DFG, 2007/10-2011/6)
    • Prospective multicentric study on the course and psychosocial outcome of living liver donations in adults and children (DFG, 2004/2-2007/1)

    • Schulz, K.-H., Kaller, T., Kohlmann, S., Ziegler, K. & Kröncke, S. (2017) Transplantationspsychologie. In: Bengel, J., Koch, U. (Hrsg.) Enzyklopädie der Psychologie. Anwendungen der Medizinischen Psychologie (Medizinische Psychologie Bd. 2). Hogrefe, Göttingen, 361-400.
    • Schulz, K.-H., Kröncke, S. (2016) Psychologische Evaluation und Beratung im Vorfeld einer Organ-Lebendspende. In: May, A. T., Kreß, H., Verrel, T. & Wagner, T. (Hrsg.) Patientenverfügungen - Handbuch für Berater, Ärzte und Betreuer. Springer, Berlin, 413-424.
    • Schulz, K.-H. & Kroencke, S. (2015) Psychosocial challenges before and after organ transplantation. Transplant Research and Risk Management, 7, 45-58. doi: 10.2147/TRRM.S53107
    • Kroencke, S., Nashan, B., Fischer, L., Erim, Y. & Schulz, K.-H. (2014). Donor quality of life up to two years after living donor liver transplantation: a prospective study. Transplantation, 97, 582-589. doi: 10.1097/01.TP.0000438206.04348.b2.
    • Kaller, T., Langguth, N., Petermann, F., Ganschow, R., Nashan, B. & Schulz, K.-H. (2013). Cognitive performance in pediatric liver transplant recipients. American Journal of Transplantation, 13, 2956-2965. doi: 10.1111/ajt.12408.
    • Kroencke, S., Fischer, L., Nashan, B., Herich, L. & Schulz, K.-H. (2012). A prospective study on living-related kidney donors’ quality of life in the first year: choosing appropriate reference data. Clinical Transplantation, 26, E418-E427. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-0012.2012.01691.x.