Barbier et al., 2021_Diagnosis of the structure of the social representations of organ donation (test of context independance)

Abstract

Introduction. – On 1st January 2017, the updated presumed consent for organ donation was widely communicated in France. From a social psychological point of view, this may have changed the shared meanings people associate with organ donation.

Objective. –First, this study aimed to identify the content and structure of the social representation of organ donation. Second, it aimed to account for social anchoring and see how the processes of social anchoring participate in the arrangement of structured sets of the social representation of organ donation.

Method. – The study consisted of filling in a self-reported online survey disseminated through Facebook. In total, 778 French people participated (393 women, 381 men, Mage = 37.02 yrs, SD = 12.60). A two-step methodology from exploratory to confirmatory analysis was applied.

Results. – In line with our assumptions, findings showed: changes in the content of representation that may have occurred in response to the legislative update, in particular; a dichotomy that structures the social representations of organ donation, intrinsically linked to the donor/non-donor variable; effects of gender and age on content of the social representations of organ donation. Contrary to our preliminary expectations, findings showed: no effects of gender and age on structure of the social representations of organ donation; no effect of religious affiliation on content nor on structure, suggesting that the role of religion is not orientating social thinking about organ donation, but rather, legitimising social practices related to organ donation.

Conclusion. – These results are discussed in relation to the identity issues facing organ donation, in the sense that the shared meaning associated with organ donation reveal ideological positions. We suggest avenues for future research likely to find interesting applications in the organ donation field.