Attitudes and Beliefs About Organ Donation: Focus Group Study in Arabic-Speaking Communities in Australia

A. Ralph,^1,2 A. Alyami,^3,4 R. Allen,^3,4 K. Howard,¹ J. Craig,^1,2 S. Chadban,^3,4 M. Irving,^1,2 A. Tong.^1,2

¹Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
²Centre for Kidney Research, Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW, Australia
³Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
⁴Transplantation Services, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Meeting: 2015 American Transplant Congress

Abstract number: A239

Keywords: Cadaveric organs, Donation, Public policy

Session Information

Session Name: Poster Session A: Non Organ Specific, Economics, Public Policy, Allocation, Ethics

Session Type: Poster Session

Date: Saturday, May 2, 2015

Session Time: 5:30pm-7:30pm

Presentation Time: 5:30pm-7:30pm

Location: Exhibit Hall E

Background: The demand for transplantable organs continues to outweigh supply across the globe, especially in the provision of deceased donor organs from ethnic minority populations. We aimed to describe the attitudes and beliefs about organ donation for transplantation within the Arabic-speaking community.

Methods: Arabic-speaking participants, in Australia, aged 19-77 years, were purposively recruited to participate in 6 focus groups (n=53). Transcripts were analyzed thematically.

Results: Six themes were identified: protecting family and community cohesiveness (respecting parental authority, intense emotionality, avoiding taboo, fearing judgment); religious conviction (clarifying ambiguity, adhering to religious requirements); invisibility of organ donation (proximity and direct relevance, lack of conceptual familiarity, apathy for registration); medical suspicion (visceral fear of organ removal, wary about less effort to save donors, losing body dignity, transferring historical skepticism, questioning differential allocation); owning the decision (saving lives, gaining independence, anticipating family resistance, honoring donor wishes); and reciprocal benefit.

Conclusion: Organ donation was considered a generous 'gift' which could save lives. However, members of the Arabic-speaking community were unfamiliar with, unnerved and skeptical about the donation process. Making positive decisions about organ donation would require resolving tensions between respecting their family, community, and religious values versus their autonomy. Providing education about the need and process of organ donation through schools, religious leaders, media, and other social groups within the Arabic community may enhance factual knowledge and clarify ambiguities about the religious stance towards organ donation. Such strategies may serve to reduce falsely perceived taboos and suspicion towards organ donation and thereby increase deceased donation rates within the Arabic-speaking community.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Ralph A, Alyami A, Allen R, Howard K, Craig J, Chadban S, Irving M, Tong A. Attitudes and Beliefs About Organ Donation: Focus Group Study in Arabic-Speaking Communities in Australia [abstract]. Am J Transplant. 2015; 15 (suppl 3). https://atcmeetingabstracts.com/abstract/attitudes-and-beliefs-about-organ-donation-focus-group-study-in-arabic-speaking-communities-in-australia/. Accessed May 31, 2025.

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