Psychosomatic Medicine 32:225-231 (1970)
© 1970 American Psychosomatic Society

Motivation and Readiness of Potential Human Tissue Donors and Nondonors

¹ VA Hospital, Houston and Baylor College of Medicine, and the University of Houston Tex.

Address for reprint requests: Dr. S. Cleveland, Chief, Psychology Service, VA Hospital, 2002 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, Tex 77031

Persons in groups representing different socioeconomic levels responded to a questionnaire on tissue-donor attitudes. These groups differed sharply in their readiness to volunteer as donors after death, with some volunteering almost unanimously while in others less than half were willing to be donors. Donor tendency is closely associated with educational level, donors having better than a high school education and nondonors less than a high school diploma. Nondonors in a psychiatric group were found to express more concern about body integrity and worry more about death than donors. Donors rate organ transplant procedures favorably while nondonors are less favorably inclined. Donors would themselves accept a transplanted organ if needed for survival; nondonors would reject such aid. Medical personnel down-grade the effectiveness of transplant procedures although they are willing to accept a transplant if needed for survival.

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