Beliefs and attitudes towards organ donation in young Mexicans Crenças e Atitudes de Jovens Mexicanos Face à Doação de Órgãos

Aim: The objective of this work was to demonstrate the relationship between beliefs and attitudes towards organ donation in Sonoran university students, which required the adaptation and validation of the scales of beliefs and attitudes towards organ donation proposed by León (2015) for the Mexican Sonoran state population. Method: From a non-probabilistic sample of 225 college students of both sexes, between 17 and 25 years of age, each scale was analyzed using the Rasch model, where relevant values of unidimensionality were found for almost all items. Subsequently, an exploratory factor analysis with varimax rotation showed theoretically interpretable factors, as well as a total explained variance greater than 50% in both scales. Results: Using structural equations, a model of beliefs and attitudes towards organ donation was confirmed, identifying considerable correlations between negative beliefs on donation and positive attitude (r = -.73) and prosocial attitudes towards donation (r = -.44), showing relevant adjustment criteria (SRMR = .053; RMSEA = .056; CFI = .926). Conclusion: The findings corroborate the importance of beliefs as a cognitive component of attitudes, as well future studies with sample extension are suggested to confirm the results obtained. peerReviewed publishedVersion