Mental health in children with living donor liver transplantation: a propensity score-matched analysis

BACKGROUND: This study explored mental health of pediatric patients with living donor liver transplantation. METHODS: A total of 741 children who successfully underwent living donor liver transplantation from 2009 to 2019 enrolled in this study. Participants were aged between 3 and 12 years (mean age = 5.28; SD = 2.01). The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire was used to evaluate emotional and behavioral problems. Parents completed the 5-item World Health Organization Well-Being Index and reported their child’s height, weight, sleep duration, parent-child interactions, home environment, physical activities, and time spent on screen exposure. Propensity score matching method was used to generate a control group from 20,934 healthy children. Univariate analysis and multiple logistic regression analyses were used to identify the correlational factors in children’s mental health following a liver transplantation. RESULTS: Compared to healthy children, patients after liver transplantation were prone to emotional problems, hyperactivity, and peer problems. Moreover, parental mental health, physical activity, and family environment were identified as factors associated with mental health of pediatric liver transplant patients. CONCLUSION: The findings highlight the need to focus on mental health of pediatric transplant patients, increase support for parents, and strengthen positive parent-child interactions. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13034-022-00516-4.