How Organ Donors are Different from Non-donors: Responsibility, Barriers, and Religious Involvement

Abstract

To see if religious involvement, previously linked to various health behaviors, was linked to organ donation, 143 ethnically diverse undergraduates stated whether they were registered donors (53% were), and completed measures of organ donation attitudes and religious involvement. Compared with non-donors, donors reported fewer barriers, more family responsibility, and more willingness to receive donor organs, but were not different in religious involvement. Even in 2014, when being a "good Samaritan" by agreeing to organ donation is as easy as checking one box on a driver's license application, religious involvement does not seem to be a factor in checking this box.

The “Psychology” of organ donation: two exploratory studies considering Italian “Health professionals” and “Citizens”

“…The purpose of this research was to understand the determinants described in the RTC with reference to the manifestation of willingness to donate in a sample of citizens and professionals. In agreement with the literature, the following were supposed: (i) the gender of the respondents, as women are reported as more likely to manifest willingness to donate than men 7,8 , (ii) in addition, a conservative hypothesis is maintained with reference to religion and no signi cant relationship is expected between professed religion and the manifestation of willingness to donate 8,13 ; (iii) a good knowledge of the topic 8,11 , and (iv) having had discussions in the past about organ and tissue donation 9,10 expected to have a signi cant relationship with the manifestation of willingness to donate. Finally, in reference to professionals, (v) a signi cant relationship is expected with having received training on organ donation with the professionals' manifestation of willingness to.…”

“…The impact of religion on organ donation has yielded con icting results. Some studies suggest a reduction in registrations due to the misperception that organ donation is not supported by religion 12 , while others nd that religion has no impact 8,13 . If we focus on a more limited group, such as healthcare workers, with a particular emphasis on nurses who play a crucial role in this intricate process, it becomes apparent from the literature that they lack su cient knowledge, especially regarding the concept of "brain death".…”

Why Do Young Adults in the United States Have Such Low Rates of Organ Donation Registration?

“…Almost all adults in the U.S. (95%) support organ donation, yet 42% have chosen not to register as donors [3]. That percentage not being registered is even higher among young adults-a range of 47% to 69% depending on the study [4][5][6][7]. Globally, the demand for organs and organ donors continues to soar, but there are challenges such as lack of awareness, lower willingness, higher medical mistrust, dwindling altruism, societal divide, and conflicts.…”