title: "Can you spare an organ?": exploring Hispanic Americans' willingness to discuss living organ donation with loved ones.
abstract: Living organ donation offers a means of overcoming the shortage of viable organs available for transplant: a shortage particularly problematic among Hispanics. One barrier standing between those in need of a kidney and a successful transplant operation is an inability, and often lack of desire, to talk to loved ones about the need for a living donation. With an eye on future intervention approaches, and guided in part by the theory of planned behavior, this research effort sought to explore the factors associated with a willingness to engage in a conversation about a living donation with loved ones. Study 1, a phone survey of Hispanic Americans drawn from a Hispanic surname list, reveals that while upward of 90% of respondents would be willing to offer a kidney to a family member in need, and a similar percentage would be willing to accept a living donation if offered, only about half of respondents would feel comfortable initiating a conversation with family members if the respondent was in need of a living donation. Study 2, a survey of Hispanic American patients currently in need of a living kidney donation, revealed that perceived behavioral control accounted for 60% of the variance in future intentions to initiate a conversation among those who have yet to speak to a family member about becoming a living donor. Moreover, perceived behavioral control mediated the relationship between perceived asking appropriateness and future intentions to initiate a conversation. Lastly, recipient outcome expectations, asking appropriateness, and subjective norms were revealed to be predictive of perceived behavioral control. Implications for future living donor interventions focusing on increasing recipient-initiated conversations are discussed.
authors: Department of Psychology, Claremont Graduate University, CA 91711, USA. Jason.Siegel@cgu.edu
authors: Jason T
authors: JT
authors: Siegel
authors: Eusebio M
authors: EM
authors: Alvaro
authors: Zachary P
authors: ZP
authors: Hohman
authors: Deborah
authors: D
authors: Maurer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D003142:Communication; D033001:Directed Tissue Donation; D005190:Family; D005195:Family Relations / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000208:ethnology / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D019520:Living Donors / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement