Organ Donation Decisional Balance Survey: Reliability and Validity of the Turkish Version

Despite the positive view about organ donation in our society, many people remain reluctant to donate. Identifying the perceived advantages and disadvantages and raising awareness about organ donation may help promote willingness for eligible people to become donors. Our aim was to determine the validity and reliability of the Organ Donation Decisional Balance Survey for the Turkish community in order to implement the transtheoretical model of behavior change and to emphasize the positive aspects of organ donation during the process of decision making.

A total of 420 adults, including 304 women and 116 men, voluntarily participated in the study. A personal information form, now known as the Organ Donation Decisional Balance Survey, and the Compassion of Others' Lives scale were used to evaluate the participants. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine the factor structure of the questionnaire. All data were analyzed with confirmatory factor analysis using the Amos 16 programs.

Analysis results showed that the fit index values of the survey were acceptable (P < .01). Factor loads of the survey for the advantages subdimension were between 0.53 and 0.78, and the factor loads for the disadvantages subdimension were from 0.46 to 0.75. Internal consistency of these 2 components resulted in an acceptable Cronbach alpha value. We also identified a positive correlation between the advantages score and the Compassion of Others' Lives scale score.

This survey can guide those who prepare training programs on organ donation by highlighting positive thoughts and reducing negative judgments. The Turkish version of the Organ Donation Decisional Balance Survey is acceptable, valid, and reliable.