title: Applying self-determination theory to the blood donation context: The blood donor competence, autonomy, and relatedness enhancement (Blood Donor CARE) trial.
abstract: The Blood Donor Competency, Autonomy, and Relatedness Enhancement (Blood Donor CARE) project was designed as a practical application of self-determination theory to encourage retention of first-time donors. Self-determination theory proposes that people are more likely to persist with behaviors that are internally-motivated, and that externally-motivated behavior can evolve and become internalized given the appropriate socio-environmental conditions. According to self-determination theory, motivation to engage in blood donation may become increasingly self-determined if the behavior satisfies fundamental human needs for competence (a sense of self-efficacy to achieve specific goals), autonomy (a sense of volitional control over one's behavior), and relatedness (a sense of connection to a larger group). The primary aim of this randomized controlled trial is to examine the effect of competence, autonomy, and/or relatedness interventions on donor retention. Using a full factorial design, first-time donors will be assigned to a control condition or one of seven intervention conditions. Donation competence, autonomy, and relatedness, along with additional constructs associated with return donation, will be assessed before and after the intervention using online surveys, and donation attempts will be tracked for one-year using blood center donor databases. We hypothesize that, compared to the control condition, the interventions will increase the likelihood of a subsequent donation attempt. We will also examine intervention-specific increases in competence, autonomy, and relatedness as potential mediators of enhanced donor retention. By promoting first-time donor competence, autonomy, and relatedness our goal is to enhance internal motivation for giving and in so doing increase the likelihood of future donation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA. Electronic address: France@ohio.edu.
authors.forename: Christopher R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: France
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Janis L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: France
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Bruce W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Carlson
authors.affiliation: New York Blood Center, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Frye
authors.affiliation: New York Blood Center, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Louisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Duffy
authors.affiliation: New York Blood Center, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Debra A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Kessler
authors.affiliation: New York Blood Center, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rebosa
authors.affiliation: New York Blood Center, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Beth H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Shaz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001782:Blood Donors / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D020377:Self Efficacy; D066262:Social Norms; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Blood donation; Clinical trial; Internal motivational