Gender, Family, Ambivalence Impact Live Liver Donation

Ambivalence affects motivation for donating, decision to be tested, and post-donation concerns

MONDAY, Jan. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Gender, relationship to the recipient, and ambivalence toward donation all impact living liver donor's decisions, motives, and post-donation outcomes, according to a study published in the January issue of the American Journal of Transplantation.

Andrea DiMartini, M.D., of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and colleagues used structured evaluation instruments to survey 77 prospective living liver donors to collect information about their decision making process, motives, and physical and social concerns about post-donation outcomes. The gender of the donor, their relationship to the intended recipient, and whether or not the individual felt ambivalent about their donation were examined.

The researchers found that female donors had more worries about their social and familial responsibilities. Donors who donated to non-immediate family were less likely to feel they had to donate and more likely to have been asked to donate. Ambivalent donors experienced difficulties and concerns in all aspects, including motivation for donating, decisions to be tested and to donate, and outcomes after donation.

"Understanding the associations between donor characteristics and their motives, decision making and concerns about donation will both prepare donor teams to evaluate prospective donor candidates and also improve the preparation of donors for the surgery," the authors write.

Abstract
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