The aim of this study was to determine the role of resilience and alexithymia in the post-traumatic growth as a response to extreme stress in patients after kidney transplantation and to determine whether there are differences in the level of posttraumatic growth in patients after living and cadaveric donor kidney transplantation. The relationships between these variables were also evaluated. The questionnaire survey of 91 kidney recipients took place in 2018 and 2019. The following tools were used: authorial post-transplant questionnaire for recipients and validated questionnaires, Post Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI-R), Resilience Coping Scale Questionnaire, and Toronto Alexithymia Scale Questionnaire (TAS20). The results obtained showed significant differences between the group of kidney recipients from living donors and recipients from cadaveric donors, in terms of overall post-traumatic growth, as well as changes in self-perception and a greater appreciation for life. Post-traumatic growth in both groups was related to the level of resilience and the level of alexithymia. Resilience is an accurate predictor of posttraumatic growth in general and for each of the groups of recipients separately.
Keywords: alexithymia; kidney transplantation; post-traumatic growth; psychology; resilience.