Latent Profile Analysis of Symptom Experiences in Kidney Transplant Recipients and Their Differences in Health-Related Quality of Life: A Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the latent profiles of symptom experience in kidney transplant recipients, examine their influencing factors, and compare the differences in health-related quality of life across distinct symptom experience profiles. METHODS: A total of 345 kidney transplant recipients were recruited from a tertiary Grade A hospital in Guizhou Province via convenience sampling. All participants finished the General Information Questionnaire, Symptom Experience Scale and 12-Item Short Form Health Survey. Latent profile analysis was employed to classify recipients into subgroups based on their symptom experiences. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression were applied to explore factors associated with distinct latent profiles, and health-related quality of life was compared across subgroups. RESULTS: Three latent profiles of symptom experience were identified: the mild symptom group (53.9%), the moderate symptom group (27.3%), and the severe symptom group (18.8%). Logistic regression analysis showed that gender, employment status, number of post-transplant rehospitalizations and number of comorbidities were significant influencing factors of profile membership (all P < .05). Statistically significant differences were observed across the 3 profiles in both the Physical Component Summary and Mental Component Summary scores of health-related quality of life (all P < .05). CONCLUSION: Symptom experience in kidney transplant recipients is heterogeneous, and health-related quality of life varies across different symptom experience profiles. Clinical nursing staff can implement targeted symptom management strategies for patients in different subgroups to alleviate symptom burden and improve their quality of life.