An examination of teenagers’ beliefs toward organ donor registration

Abstract

Teenagers represent a promising target population for organ donor registration efforts, as in the US teenagers age 15-17 may register their intent for organ donation, which later translates to consent at age 18. However, teenagers constitute a relatively understudied population in the organ donation literature. A sample of teenagers (N = 466) ranging in age from 13 to 19 was recruited from driver's education schools in Ohio and Michigan in order to learn more about their perceived reasons for and against registering as an organ donor. A coding scheme was developed, and responses were coded by two trained coders. In line with previous work in adult samples, our results revealed the three most common reasons for registering were prosocial benefits, rational arguments, and personal experience. In contrast to previous work among adults, the two most common reasons for not registering were bodily integrity and religious reasons. Several novel beliefs among teenagers that were both supportive and non-supportive of organ donor registration were identified. Findings from the current study are discussed with an emphasis on implications for practitioners working to promote organ donor registration among teenage audiences.

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“…"Youth" refers to teenagers and young adults (ages 15 to 24). Teenagers, also known as adolescents, are people aged 13 to 19, with ages varying by country: United States (15-17), Singapore (13-19), and Malaysia (13-15) (Reynolds-Tylus et al, 2021). Teenagers account for 17% of the world's population, or 1.2 billion people, with the majority (87%) living in developing countries.…”

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“…4,5 Unfortunately, for many people, media portrayals of organ donation serve as the initial, primary, and in many cases, lone source of information with respect to the transplantation process. 6,7 Highlighting this challenge, Morgan and colleagues 8 found in familial…”

“…9,10 As a result, uninformed individuals regularly decline to register as organ, eye, and tissue donors with the situation being particular troublesome for teenagers. 7 Previous research has shown a statistical association between organ donation knowledge and organ donor registration. 11,12 Morgan and colleagues 11 found a positive association between knowledge and registration intentions.…”

“…4,5 Unfortunately, for many people, media portrayals of organ donation serve as the initial, primary, and in many cases, lone source of information with respect to the transplantation process. 6,7 Highlighting this challenge, Morgan and colleagues 8 found in familialThis is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.…”

“…Individuals asked about their intention to register as organ donors too often lack an adequate understanding of the transplant process 9,10 . As a result, uninformed individuals regularly decline to register as organ, eye, and tissue donors with the situation being particular troublesome for teenagers 7 . Previous research has shown a statistical association between organ donation knowledge and organ donor registration 11,12 .…”