title: When altruism fails: reactions of unrelated bone marrow donors when the recipient dies.
abstract: This article examines the responses of bone marrow donors to the death of the unrelated person to whom they donated. Data analyzed were 330 questionnaires and fifty in-depth interviews collected from donors in the National Marrow Donor Program at one year post-donation. Death of the recipient produced feelings of guilt and responsibility in the donors in only a few cases (2% of donors from questionnaire data and 2 of the 23 donors interviewed). Grief occurred often (22 of 23 donors interviewed) and was often surprisingly intense, given the fact that the recipient was a stranger. Intensity of grief varied depending on the perceived relationship with the recipient. Our data indicate that limiting contact and/or information about the recipient to the donor would be unlikely to result in more positive psychosocial outcomes. However, several strategies which might be useful in relieving donor guilt and/or grief are suggested.
authors.affiliation: Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, 3811 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
authors.forename: V A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Butterworth
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Simmons
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schimmel
mesh_terms: D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation / Q000523:psychology; D003643:Death; D006117:Grief; D006167:Guilt; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D019520:Living Donors / Q000523:psychology*; D017211:Treatment Failure