title: Differences in psychosocial profiles between men and women living kidney donors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The expansion of kidney transplantation by living donation has led to a disproportional increase in the women to men ratio among donors and this difference cannot be explained on the basis of medical exclusion. The present study was designed to test whether women donors are more likely to (i) display altruistic and gender-typed nurturing behaviour and (ii) be subtly influenced by family pressure to donate and less able to resist this pressure.
  
  
  METHODS
  All 71 (61% women) individuals who had donated a kidney at our centre between 1995 and 2005 were sent a survey. Thirty-nine individuals (71% response rate; 64% female participation) filled out and returned the survey, which included standardized measures of altruism, self-esteem, family dynamics and endorsement of gender-stereotyped roles, as well as sociodemographic questions and questions about donation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Findings show no difference between women and men in terms of the psychological attributes measured. One woman and two men reported having felt pressure to donate, and 92% of women compared with 54% of men reported having felt free to change their mind. Men took longer than women to make the decision to donate.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results suggest that among individuals who have already donated, there is no evidence that women may be more inclined to donate than man because of differences in their psychosocial profiles or because they may be more vulnerable to family pressure. Future research may gain from focusing on men and women donors and non-donors in families where transplantation is being considered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada. marie.achille@umontreal.ca
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Achille
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Soos
authors.forename: Marie-Chantal
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Fortin
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pâquet
authors.forename: Marie-Josée
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Hébert
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000533:Altruism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000523:psychology*; D019520:Living Donors / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011594:Psychometrics; D012919:Social Behavior