Psychological Determinants of Blood Donation During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Hungary

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic had a considerable impact on blood donations worldwide. The present study aims to empirically investigate the determinants of willingness to donate blood during the COVID-19 pandemic in Hungary. Methods Our study was carried out on 418 whole blood donors (286 women, 68.4%) using data collection from the online and paper self-report questionnaire data collection. We evaluated the association between motivation, self-efficacy, and technical and emotional barriers to donation. Results The correlational analysis showed that the number of donations during the COVID-19 pandemic was positively associated with the total number of donations; habit and identity motivation; and blood donation self-efficacy. In contrast, a negative association has been found with perceived barriers during the pandemic. The path model confirmed that the number of donations during the pandemic can be explained by the donors' habit and identity motivation facilitated by the experienced blood donation self-efficacy. The number of total donations also predicted the donations during COVID-19. Conclusion These findings suggest that high donor self-efficacy is associated with habitual donation and the need to reinforce donor identity, which may again positively influence the number of donations. These factors contribute to the continued willingness to donate and result in a stable blood supply even during a health crisis or other societal challenges. Our research fits into a series of studies that draw the attention of blood donation professionals to the importance of identifying and maintaining a motivational background, increasing self-efficacy, and removing barriers to blood donation.