Determining the Relationship between the Sociodemographic Characteristics and Attachment Styles of Liver Transplant Donors: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the relationship between the sociodemographic characteristics and attachment styles of liver transplant donors. This descriptive and correlational study included a sample of 156 donors. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a Patient Information Form and the Relationship Scales Questionnaire. In addition to normality tests, the Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Bonferroni-corrected P-value, and Spearman correlation coefficient were used in data analysis. The significance level was set at P <= .05. The findings revealed that the majority of donors had a dismissive attachment style. Individuals with higher income levels, those living in rural areas, and those not related to the recipient showed a higher tendency toward secure attachment compared to other groups. Donors who had undergone previous surgery exhibited stronger secure attachment and weaker dismissive attachment than those who had not. Based on these results, future studies and organ donation campaigns are recommended to focus on attachment styles and their association with sociodemographic and sociocultural characteristics. The mean age of the participating donors was 31.65 +/- 6.67 years, and 76.92% were related to the recipient. Among the donors, 93.6% exhibited a dismissive attachment style. Income level, place of residence, kinship with the recipient, and previous surgical history had a statistically significant effect on secure attachment style (P < .05), explaining 34.4% of the variance (R-2 = 0.344). Previous surgical history was found to have a statistically significant effect on the dismissive attachment style (P < .05), accounting for 14.5% of the variance (R-2 = 0.145).