Diss. Martin-Luther-Univ. Halle-Wittenberg, 2007/08. / Includes bibliographical referenes and index.

While technological advances in immunology and surgery have permitted rapid increases in the number of homotransplantations now performed, little is known about layman’s attitudes toward donation of organs. Implicit in such progress has been the medical field's assumption that enough donor organs will be forthcoming to meet the increasing demand. In order to research this area a dual emphasis on practical and theoretical issues was employed. The purpose of the present study then, was to investigate this medical assumption by sampling the attitudes and behavior of college students toward donation of organs for transplant purposes, and at the same time, to clarify some of the methodological issues resident in attitude research. The following experimental hypothesis was tested: individuals who express positive or negative attitudes toward organ donation, as measured on an attitude scale, behave in a manner consistent with their attitudes, behavior being measured by statements of intention and by behavioral commitment responses. A Likert-type summated rating scale was developed and utilized as the attitude measuring instrument in the study. A split-half reliability coefficient of .95 and a test-retest reliability of .94 were obtained. A test battery containing the attitude scale, a demographic questionnaire, a social desirability scale and an information test was administered to 389 college students in their classrooms. The validity study utilized two behavioral indices: 1) behavioral intent statements which were gathered following completion of the test battery, and 2) behavioral commitment responses as obtained in individual interviews. The second criterion involved 100 telephone interviews which took place from six to ten weeks after classroom testing. An additional 20 Ss followed up with personal interviews. Both criteria measures constituted Guttman scales. Several secondary issues were investigated. 1. As attitude scales have routinely been validated by use of signed behavioral intent statements the effect of anonymity was examined. Of the total number of Ss participating in the test battery 86 were requested to sign the intent statements; all others were anonymously filled out. 2. In order to evaluate any sensitizing effect on behavioral commitment responses, one-half of those Ss ticipating in the individual interviews had not received any testing in the classroom situation. 3. The Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale was used to control or the effect of social norms on attitude and behavioral scale scores in approval dependent individuals. 4. An information test was incorporated into the test battery to ascertain the relationship between cognition, affect and behavior. The major results lent strong support to the experimental hypothesis; Ss did tend to behave in a manner consistent with their measured attitudes. Validity coefficients of .38 (attitude and behavioral intent statements), .58 (attitude and behavioral commitment responses) and .64 (composite prediction) suggested that under certain conditions predictive salience can be obtained from attitude scale scores. With regard to the secondary measures, no significant effects were found for anonymity, pretest sensitization, or social desirability. There was some evidence which suggested a relationship between level of information and attitude; however, the results were not conclusive. Empirical findings did support the medical supposition that some people at least (i.e., college students) will be favorably disposed toward posthumous organ donation. Twenty percent of those Ss contacted made a substantial commitment. Further research is planned in order to gain normative data on more representative samples of the total population.

published_or_final_version / Community Medicine / Master / Master of Public Health

More than 30,000 children and adults are diagnosed with life-threatening blood diseases such as leukemia, anemia and lymphomas in the U.S. every year. A transplant of stem cells, obtained from the bone marrow of a healthy donor, can be a cure for these diseases. The National Marrow Donor Program's registry comprises almost five million potential donors, however, many ethnic minorities are still underrepresented in comparison to their percentage in the overall U.S. population. Since patients are more likely to find a matching donor within their own ethnic community, recruitment efforts have been focusing on minority donors since a number of years. A number of other studies are currently examining the psychosocial and physical effects of the donation experience, as well as identifying barriers against and reasons for donating bone marrow, using questionnaires and health models. However, none has yet looked at which recruitment settings work well for college campuses, to what extent the target group should be educated, and how the study results should be incorporated into the recruitment efforts to improve retention. Potential donor education was therefore the most important focus of a Bone Marrow Donor Registration Drive organized by the author on the OSU campus in January. 150 potential donors registered at the OSU drive, one third of them from ethnic minorities. This study examines if the drive's extensive education and outreach component had any impact on the number of newly recruited volunteer donors in comparison to OSU's peer institutions. Using the Chi square test, a proportion comparison was performed between the percentage of newly registered volunteer donors (both in total and broken down by ethnicity) among the eligible OSU student body, and the total eligible student body at each peer institution. While the hypothesis that the extensive education and promotion activities increased the number of recruited donors could not be confirmed, targeting the minorities on campus was successful, since a significantly higher proportion of minority students registered at the BMDRD than the proportion of minority students registered at OSU. Besides data on the impact of the promotional activities and the recruitment results, which can also be used for further research, the drive also yielded a protocol that can serve as a guideline for organizing future drives at OSU and other schools with similar resources. / Graduation date: 2003

Thesis (Ph.D., Dept. of Religion and Political Philosophy)--Harvard University, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 309-327). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (L.L.M.)--York University, 2000. / "Graduate Programme in Law, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University." Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pMQ59546.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 97-107). / ix, 107 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm

Bibliography: leaves 238-253. / xviii, 261 leaves ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Through a methodological blend of hermeneutics, phenomenology and social constructionism the experiences of donor parents are presented. Using a process of dialogical interpretation the themes of Unprepared, Uncertainty, Waiting, Watching, Waiting and Aloneness have been developed to expand our understanding of donor parents experiences. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Clinical Nursing, 1999

Univ. Politécnica, Diss.--Barcelona, 2003. / Literaturverz. S. [251] - 268.

Thesis (M.F.A.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 1995. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 55-56).