Blood Donor Motivations: a qualitative study with both neodonors and retained donors

Aims The aims of this study are different. The first one is to establish which Familial Values can be relevant to approach blood donation; the second is to highlight which are the Motivations to start donating blood. The last aim is to understand if the Motivations that at the beginning of the process substained the blood donation change as time passes by or if they are constant. Tools and participants The study is conducted by interviews to blood donors. The approach is the constructionist revision of grounded-theory approach, from a double point of view: both, theory and data-driven (Gelo, Braakma and Benetka, 2008). They have been conducted 48 interviews to blood donors: 24 to neodonors and 24 to regular donors. The sample has been divided on the basis of the age (youngs and adults), in Regions from Northern Italy and in the South. Analyses The analyses have been conducted by the Software Altas-Ti (version 5). Results The data show various empirical evidences. Many are the values quoted by donors. Some donors told that these values derive from their parents who taught them to care for others. The parenthood’s role comes even out in the approach to the donation world through almost all 48 interviews. Many donors have approached the donation due to family members who already were donors, or due to the knowledge of the structure, or for the awareness of the need of blood. According to Lemmens (2005) and Finkelstein (2009), about 24 retained donors, the data clarify, otherwise, in which way motivations change during the time. Some donors say they began donating sustained from self oriented motivations, but they continue giving blood because of other-oriented motivations (civic engagement or interest to the "social good"), or because donation is a routine (a central aspect of their Self, using Piliavin’s words). The important aspect of this study is that motivations are not crystallized and unilateral, but a modifiable galaxy during the process and the experience of Donation.