The feeling of gratitude, satisfaction with life, and the level of empathy: an analysis of a comparative study of variables in kidney transplant recipients and healthy people

Authors

  • Ewelina Pustkowska SWPS University, Faculty of Psychology and Law in Poznan, Kutrzeby 10, 61-719 Poznań, Poland
  • Dagmara Szypulska-Koziarska Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Department of Histology and Embryology, Powstańców Wlkp. 72, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland
  • Jacek Różański Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Clinical Department of Nephrology, Transplantology and Internal Medicine, Powstańców Wlkp. 72, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland
  • Joanna Stępniewska Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Clinical Department of Nephrology, Transplantology and Internal Medicine, Powstańców Wlkp. 72, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland
  • Malwina Szpitalak Jagiellonian University, Institute of Psychology, Ingardena 6, 33-332 Kraków, Poland
  • Aleksandra Wilk Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Department of Histology and Embryology, Powstańców Wlkp. 72, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21164/pomjlifesci.1157

Keywords:

transplantation, thankfulness, life satisfaction, compassion, psychotransplantology

Abstract

Introduction: The study aimed to perform a comparative analysis of the level of the following variables: sense of gratitude, life satisfaction, and empathy in its 3 subscales: empathic care, personal discomfort, and taking perspective. 
Materials and methods: The analysis was performed in 2 independent groups among patients after kidney transplantation (n = 46) and healthy people (n = 46). The following psychometric tools were used in the survey: Polish adaptation of the Gratitude Questionnaire GQ-6, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and SWE Questionnaire. 
Results: People after kidney transplantation experience statistically significantly higher levels of personal discomfort (M = 23.74; SD = 4.69) than healthy individuals (M = 21.59; SD = 6.37, U = 1008.50; p = 0.024), respectively. Analysis of the Mann–Whitney U-test for independent samples showed that the means of the studied variable, gratitude, did not differ statistically significantly between groups of people after kidney transplantation (M = 30.78; SD = 5.57) and healthy people (M = 32.89; SD = 5.21, U = 855.00; p = 0.944), respectively. There were also no statistically significant differences between the kidney-transplant recipients and healthy people for the satisfaction with life (M = 21.17; SD = 5.39 and M = 24.50; SD = 6.13, U = 818.00; p = 0.061), respectively.
Conclusions: Since personal discomfort is a negative feeling directed towards ourselves at the sight of another person’s suffering, people after kidney transplantation, spending numerous days in the hospital with other patients, may be particularly susceptible to experiencing unpleasant affect at the sight of suffering in others. 

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Published

2026-03-27

Issue

Vol. 72 No. 1 (2026): Pomeranian Journal of Life Sciences

Section

Articles

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