Experience eases trait anxiety in nurses caring for organ transplant patients

Nurses who provide direct care to organ transplant patients show mild depressive symptoms and elevated anxiety scores, according to a cross-sectional descriptive study published in BMC Psychology. The research, led by Cansu Hazal Yanardağ and Türkan Özbayır, surveyed 211 nurses working with organ transplant recipients across seven geographic regions of Türkiye between September 2025 and June 2026. The findings suggest that the psychological burden of transplant nursing may stem primarily from the intrinsic nature of the work itself rather than from individual characteristics such as sex, education level, or shift schedule.

Organ transplantation is a comprehensive care process that heavily utilizes technology and teamwork, and it directly shapes patients’ quality of life. Within this process, nurses play a critical role that extends beyond physical care: they help meet the emotional and psychological needs of patients, supporting them as they cope with post-transplant stress and uncertainty. Despite this dual responsibility, the authors note that relatively few studies in the literature have focused specifically on the mental burden carried by transplant nurses, including anxiety and depression, which motivated a detailed examination of the subject.

To measure that burden, the researchers recruited participants through a convenience sampling method using an online questionnaire. Data were collected with a Personal Information Form, the Beck Depression Inventory-Short Form, and the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. The team then applied descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression analysis, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05.

The results showed that nurses caring for organ transplant patients experienced mild depressive symptoms overall. Mean scores on the Spielberger inventory were 45.66 ± 3.17 for state anxiety, the temporary anxiety felt in a given moment, and 49.23 ± 2.56 for trait anxiety, the relatively stable disposition toward anxious responding. The study also identified a moderate, positive, and statistically significant correlation between depression and anxiety, indicating that nurses with more depressive symptoms tended to report higher anxiety levels as well.

When the researchers examined which factors predicted these scores, the picture became notably sparse. Separate multiple linear regression analyses revealed that depression and state anxiety scores were largely unrelated to the sociodemographic and occupational variables examined, and the overall models for those outcomes did not reach statistical significance. Only two marginal associations emerged: the number of patients cared for daily showed a weak link with depression scores (β = 0.150, p = 0.036), and age was weakly associated with state anxiety (β = 0.379, p = 0.029). The trait anxiety model was the only one that reached statistical significance, and it produced the study’s most striking finding: a longer length of service in the transplant unit was associated with lower, rather than higher, trait anxiety scores (β = -0.361, p = 0.001). The authors suggest this inverse relationship may reflect an accumulation of clinical experience and coping skills over time rather than cumulative stress. Gender and shift pattern were not independent predictors of depression or anxiety scores in any model.

Taken together, the sociodemographic and occupational characteristics examined explained only a small proportion of the variance in the nurses’ depression and anxiety scores. The authors interpret this as evidence that the psychological burden associated with organ transplant nursing may arise primarily from the intrinsic nature of the work rather than from structural features like sex, education, or shift schedule. Nonetheless, the authors caution that the mild depressive and anxiety symptom levels observed across the sample still warrant attention, and they argue that institutional support, psychosocial interventions, and regular psychological assessments for transplant nurses remain important components of the healthcare system. The study was designed in part to reveal the need for such psychosocial support for nurses, a population the authors describe as critical both to physical care and to helping patients navigate post-transplant stress and uncertainty.

The study has limitations that temper its conclusions. The convenience sampling method and online questionnaire format mean the participants may not represent all transplant nurses, and the sample of 211 is modest. Because the design is cross-sectional, the data capture a single point in time and cannot establish causal relationships between length of service and anxiety. The authors anticipate that future studies with larger sample sizes will reveal nurses’ experiences and the impact of support models more comprehensively. For now, the findings indicate that the emotional load of transplant nursing is largely independent of who the nurses are or how their shifts are organized, while the inverse association between years in the transplant unit and trait anxiety hints that accumulated experience may be protective for the nurses who stand at the center of this demanding care process.

Subject of Research: Anxiety and depression levels among nurses caring for organ transplant patients

Article Title: Investigation of anxiety and depression levels in nurses caring for organ transplant patients

Article References: Yanardağ, C. H., & Özbayır, T. (2026). Investigation of anxiety and depression levels in nurses caring for organ transplant patients. BMC Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-026-05411-7

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s40359-026-05411-7

Keywords: organ transplantation, nursing, anxiety, depression, mental health, cross-sectional study, psychosocial support, trait anxiety, Investigation, levels, nurses, caring