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Abstract
While transplantation is lifesaving, pediatric solid organ transplant recipients do not experience a return to “normal life.” Biopsychosocial effects of organ transplantation, including medical management, modified life goals, and negative impacts on mental health, can result in impaired functioning into adulthood, though less is known about how functioning changes over time throughout transition to adult healthcare. Thirty-four young adult solid organ transplant (i.e., heart, kidney, liver) recipients completed questionnaires assessing pre- and post-transfer sociodemographic information, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), mental health symptoms, and self-efficacy. Results revealed decreases in functioning from pre- to post-transfer (i.e., increases in depressive symptoms) and significantly poorer HRQOL compared to healthy norms. Physical HRQOL was only significantly related to somatization symptoms, while variance in psychosocial HRQOL in the final model was significantly accounted for by age and reported self-efficacy. These results inform several future research and clinical directions.