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Abstract

Background: Solid Organ Transplant Recipients (SOTRs) face an elevated risk of Sars-CoV-2 infection and poor outcomes if they contract the infection. This can induce or exacerbate anxiety and depressive symptoms. We used the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Anxiety (A) and Depression (D) scores to conduct a repeated cross-sectional (“pseudo-longitudinal”) comparison of SOTRs’ anxiety and depressive symptoms before and after the COVID-19 pandemic onset. Methods: This secondary analysis used cross-sectional data from a convenience sample of adult SOTRs (kidney, kidney–pancreas, and liver) recruited between 2016 and 2024. The exposure was categorized as follows: “Pandemic Experience” was categorized as PRE (pre-pandemic reference; transplanted and anxiety and depressive symptoms assessed pre-pandemic onset), POST-1 (transplanted before and assessed after onset), and POST-2 (transplanted and assessed after onset). The outcomes were PROMIS-A and PROMIS-D scores. The differences were assessed using multivariable linear regression-estimated means. Results: Of the 816 participants, 588 (72%) were PRE, 135 (17%) were POST-1, and 93 (11%) were POST-2. In the fully adjusted model, the POST-2 group had significantly higher PROMIS-A scores (more severe symptoms) compared with PRE (adjusted mean [95% CI]: 54.2 [52.3; 56.1] vs. 51.7 [50.9; 52.4], p = 0.02). The proportion of patients with potentially clinically significant anxiety was also higher in the POST-2 group, compared with PRE (OR [95%CI] 1.59 [1.0; 2.5]). The PROMIS-A scores were similar between PRE and POST-1, and between POST-1 and POST-2. The PROMIS-D scores were not different across the exposure groups. Conclusions: SOTRs transplanted after the pandemic onset experienced more anxiety but similar depression symptoms compared with pre-pandemic levels. Future research should explore mental health support for SOTRs during crisis situations involving infectious risk.