Blood Donation during Times of Crises: The Mediating Role of Meaning in Life for Undergraduate Medical Students

Iuliana-Raluca Gheorghe, Ovidiu Popa-Velea, Consuela-Mădălina Gheorghe () and Liliana Veronica Diaconescu
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Iuliana-Raluca Gheorghe: Department of Marketing and Medical Technology, Faculty of Medicine, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania
Ovidiu Popa-Velea: Department of Medical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania
Consuela-Mădălina Gheorghe: Department of Marketing and Medical Technology, Faculty of Medicine, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania
Liliana Veronica Diaconescu: Department of Medical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania

Social Sciences, 2024, vol. 13, issue 10, 1-18

Abstract: Blood donation is a prosocial act driven by mechanisms related to altruism. While altruism plays a significant role, the processes behind blood donation behavior are complex, with altruism being just one factor. This research aimed to investigate the influence of altruism and meaning in life on the willingness to donate blood among Romanian undergraduate medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample consisted of 319 Romanian undergraduate medical students. Structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used for statistical analysis. Our findings reveal that altruism did not significantly impact the willingness to donate blood directly; however, this relationship was mediated by meaning in life. In practice, blood donation could be increased through a more substantial connection between altruism and a sense of meaning in life, especially during health crises. Utilizing social marketing campaign messages that actively encourage altruism and connect it to a sense of meaning in life may increase blood donor recruitment and retention among undergraduate medical students.

Keywords: blood donation; altruism; meaning in life; COVID-19; social marketing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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