Do New Drivers Equal New Donors? An Examination of Factors Influencing Organ Donation Attitudes and Behaviors in Adolescents

Adolescent and parent organ donation attitudes, knowledge, communications, and donor card signing rates were assessed. Parent-adolescent dyads (N = 137) were recruited at a Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Using discriminant analysis, attitude, knowledge, and communication variables adequately classified adolescent donor status. Overall, adolescent positive attitude toward donation was the most powerful variable discriminating between donors and nondonors. Examining only participants who had discussed donation with parents, the nature of parent-adolescent discussions about organ donation became the most important variable in donor classification. Adolescent donors reported significantly more positive and less negative attitudes, had parents with more positive and less negative attitudes, and had engaged in more frequent and more positive communications with parents about organ donation.