Gratitude, optimism, and satisfaction with life and patient-reported outcomes in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Objective: Associations between positive psychological well-being (PPWB) and patient-reported outcomes (PROs, e.g., quality of life [QOL]) have yet to be studied extensively in patients with hematologic malignancies who are allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) survivors, despite substantial evidence that PPWB impacts PROs of other medical populations.

Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data examining the association of PPWB and PROs at day 100 post-transplant among 158 allogeneic HSCT recipients. Optimism, gratitude, life satisfaction, and PROs (i.e., QOL, anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms) were assessed using the Life Orientation Test-Revised, Gratitude Questionnaire, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Bone Marrow Transplant, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist-Civilian Version, respectively. We used linear and multivariate regressions for all analyses and controlled for patient factors.

Results: Optimism was associated with better QOL (β = 1.46; p < 0.001) and lower levels of anxiety (β = -0.28; p < 0.001), depression (β = -0.31; p < 0.001), and PTSD (β = -0.58; p < 0.001). Gratitude was associated with better QOL (β = 1.11; p < 0.001) and lower levels of anxiety (β = -0.21; p = 0.001), depression (β = -0.14; p = 0.021), and PTSD (β = -0.32; p = 0.032). Finally, satisfaction with life was associated with better QOL (β = 1.26; p < 0.001) and lower levels of anxiety (β = -0.18; p < 0.001), depression (β = -0.21; p < 0.001), and PTSD (β = -0.49; p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Optimism, gratitude, and satisfaction with life were all associated with better QOL and lower levels of psychological distress in allogeneic HSCT survivors. These data support studies to harness PPWB as a therapeutic intervention for this population throughout HSCT recovery.