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11PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCES
PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF BLOOD DONORSHIP MOTIVATION
Filshtinskaya E.G.,
senior lecturer Samara State Medical University Chapaevskaya Street, 89, Samara, Russian Federation
Aborina M.V. assistant
Samara State Medical University Chapaevskaya Street, 89, Samara, Russian Federation
Abstract
The article discusses the psychological aspects of blood donorship motivation. More than one million units of blood are taken from donors every year; however, this is still not enough to meet glob al demand and ensure sufficient and timely blood supply. The probability of contracting infectious diseases, for example, hepatitis, is much higher among paid donors. It is extremely important to involve gratuitous donors in donorship since they are more responsible and disinterested financially. To attract voluntary donors who donate blood for free, it is important to understand what attracts people, and what, on the contrary, causes concern and hinders this process. Such types of motivation of prosocial behavior as altruistic, pragmatic, egoistic, self-importance, self-improvement were identified. The leading life values of donors can motivate them to altruistic activities in order to help others and gain approval and recognition from other people.
Keywords: prosocial behavior, blood donorship, motivation, altruistic behavior.
Blood donorship is a very urgent problem all over the world, which requires attention and research in this area. More than a million units of blood are taken from donors every year, but this is still not enough to meet global demand. It is extremely important to involve gratuitous donors in donorship since they are more responsible [6]. Answers to the question "What motivates a person to donate blood for free?" they allow you to determine which people can become new donors, as well as make predictions about potential donors [1].
Donors are usually divided into the following categories: voluntary, family and paid. Donors are often classified in terms of donorship frequency: new or first donors, sporadic or regular donors. The safest donors are found among people who voluntarily donate their blood once or twice a year solely out of altruism and realize the impossibility of working as blood donors if there is the slightest risk of harm to the health of blood recipients [2].
According to the results of some studies, blood do-norship correlates with the donor's gender, place of birth, profession, and knowledge about donorship, as well as social attitudes related to health, structural and socio-economic incentives. Blood donorship can be characterized as prosocial behavior, and donors often cite prosocial reasons, such as altruism, empathy, or social responsibility, in connection with their willingness to donate blood [3].
Trying to solve the problem of blood donorship support, researchers have identified a few socio-demo-graphic, organizational, physiological and psychological factors that affect people's willingness to donate blood. Although past research has mainly focused on donor engagement, on demographic variables related to blood donor behavior, the issue of donor retention is becoming increasingly important. A growing number
of studies emphasize the role of psychological factors in explaining, predicting, and encouraging blood donor behavior [7].
The act of donating blood has been noted in the literature as one of the most important gestures of "pure altruism", since the person donating blood does not know the person to whom it will be transfused, and therefore cannot receive any compensation. Research on this topic has focused mainly on personal characteristics that can be predictors of gratuitous donorship. Since the late 1990s, other models of interpretation have been applied, for example, the study of motivational attitudes [5].
There are six types of motivations related to the social sphere ("People close to me want me to donate blood"), values ("By donating blood, I could do something for a cause that I consider important"), self-improvement ("Donating blood will increase my self-esteem"), ego protection ("Donating blood will help me overcome personal problems"), knowledge ("By donating blood, I can learn a lot") and career ("As a donor, I will be respected by many people"). This approach assumes that people are driven by a complex combination of motivational orientations that complement each other. People are engaged in donor activity based on a set of motives [4].
In the course of the study, P. Guiddi et al. found that social motivation directly correlates with an increase in the number of blooddonorships, i.e. persons who consider donorship a form of accumulation of social capital and interaction donate blood more often than persons with other motivation. At the same time, women report a higher level of social motivation compared to men. The motivation to protect the Ego is also directly correlated with an increase in the number of blooddonorships. New male donors have a low level of
Ego protection motivation, which is enhanced when they become regular donors. New female donors have a fairly high motivation to protect the Ego, which remains unchanged over time [4].
Numerous studies of donor motivation have shown that donors consider altruistic motivation to be the main reason for donorship. V. R. Steela et al. studied presumably such motivating factors as empathy, altruism and social responsibility, and compared them with the frequency of blood donorship. In general, the donors surveyed had high rates of altruistic behavior, empathy, and motivation for social responsibility [8].
A large-scale study of donors conducted by I. Butsuniene et al. allowed us to obtain data on the motivation of donors. Paid donors accounted for 89,9%, and unpaid - 10,1% of respondents. Research results show that 93% of paid donors donate blood on a regular basis; while among non-paid donors, this figure was only 20,6%. The idea of the need for remuneration is supported by 78,3% of paid donors, while 64,7% of unpaid respondents believe that remuneration is not required. Paid donors reported that they were mostly inspired to do this by certain personal considerations, such as a willingness to earn some money, find out the results of their blood tests, help relatives in need, or simply an interest in trying blood donorship. Most of the gratuitous donors were motivated by a desire to help those in need [2].
We conducted a study to identify the motivation of the helping behavior of blood donors. The sample included 63 donors with different donorship experience from 1 year to 36 years, among whom 60,3% were women, and 39,7% were men. The age of the donors ranged from 17 to 64 years. 46% of donors are married or do not have their own family, 6,3% are divorced. 74,6% of respondents have a permanent job, 23,8% are studying, 1,6% are unemployed. Half of all respondents donate blood more often than once every six months.
To conduct the study, a questionnaire was developed, including questions directly or indirectly characterizing the prosocial motivation of donors. The following psychodiagnostic methods were also used in the study: M. Rokich's test of value orientations (list of terminal values); S.S. Bubnov's method of diagnosing the real structure of value orientations of a person; A.G. Shmelev's method of diagnosing risk propensity.
According to the survey results, about half of all respondents believe that the main reason for donorship is to help those who need blood, i.e. the leading motive is altruistic. About 20% believe that donors want to feel their usefulness, i.e., with the help of altruistic behavior, they improve their own opinion of themselves. Approximately 10% of respondents believe that it is good for health, and it is possible to get rest days, i.e. demonstrate pragmatic and selfish motives of prosocial activity.
More than half of all respondents (50,8%) would like to know information about people who need help. Such information makes their help not impersonal, but specifically directed, allows you to understand whose life the blood they donated helps to save. Here we can trace the motivation of the value and protection of the Ego.
39,7% of donors would like to have information about the risks of donorshipto understand the risk to their own well-being and health this activity carries. The higher the risk for the one who is engaged in the helping activity, the higher its significance and value in the eyes of the helping subject himself. This is how the motivation for self-improvement and self-importance is manifested.
To the open question "What events do you think will attract more people to donorship?" the donors gave answers that can be combined into several groups:
- benefits - 27,2% (paid days off, the possibility of vacation at any time of the year, sanatorium treatment);
- field events - 23,8% (various promotions, lectures of doctors in schools and universities, mobile donor points);
- souvenirs - 4,7%;
- advertising in the media - 50,8% (Internet, magazines, television).
So, because of the survey, such types of motivation for the prosocial behavior of donors as altruistic, pragmatic, egoistic, self-improvement and self-importance were identified.
According to M. Rokich's test, among the first six life values shared by most donors, family comes first (67.5%), having good and loyal friends (65%), health (60%), financially secure life (57,5%), public recognition (47,5%), active active life (42,5%). The values obtained characterize donors as people who value social relations, health, material prosperity, recognition from other people and an active life filled with activity. These values can motivate people to altruistic activities in order to help others and get a good attitude from others.
The results of the test diagnostics of the real structure of the value orientations of S.S. Bubnov's personality show that the leading values in the surveyed group of donors are help and mercy to other people (96,8%), recognition and respect of people and influence on others (92%), pleasant pastime, rest (85,7%), health and love (82,5%). The results obtained confirm the results of the M. Rokich test, indicating the importance of recognition by others and the importance of social relations.
According to the risk propensity diagnostic test, 74,6% of the surveyed donors have an average degree of risk propensity, and therefore their donor activity cannot be considered as a form of risky behavior associated with the motivation to get thrills.
Correlation analysis using Spearman's rank correlation showed that the desire to obtain financial incentives in any form is more common among younger (rs=-0,42, p<0.01), and married (rs=0,38, p<0,01), donor male sex (rs=-0,41, p<0,01).
As a result of the survey of donors, such types of motivation for prosocial behavior as altruistic, pragmatic, egoistic, self-improvement and self-importance were identified. Leading life values of donors (social relations, health, social recognition) they can motivate them to altruistic activities in order to help others and gain approval and recognition from other people.
Based on the data obtained, we can offer the following recommendations for attracting donors and increasing their motivation:
1. Social advertising of donorship should be carried out more widely and on a larger scale, covering all categories of the population from students to adults.
2. It is important to show people whose lives were saved thanks to donated blood, so that donors feel their involvement and the specificity of the assistance provided.
3. It is necessary that donors themselves also talk about their activities, attracting not only relatives and acquaintances, but also other people, increasing the social value of donorship.
4. Material gratitude, even purely symbolic (badges, diplomas, honor boards) can increase the motivation of donors for whom public recognition is important.
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