Value priorities and intention to register for posthumous organ donation in Dutch adolescents

The authors conducted a survey to identify knowledge level about organ donation and the kinds of personal values associated with intent to register as an organ donor. Participants' levels of knowledge were modest but associated positively with intent to register. Knowledge deficiencies about organ donation suggest the need for education-based programs designed to overcome these limitations. Also, students who scored higher in social conformity but lower in hedonism values expressed a greater intent to register, which indicated that personal values could play a role in future health education campaigns designed to increase the supply of donor organs available for transplantation. Furthermore, appeals could be tailored to the primary values of adolescents at particular stages of ego development to facilitate their willingness to register as donors.