Rob Eisinga

Motivation for body donation to science: More than an altruistic act

BACKGROUND In recent years the Netherlands has witnessed a steep increase in the number of bodies donated for medical research and training. To explore this upward trend and motives for donation, a survey was conducted among registered body donors in the database of the Department of Anatomy at the University Medical Center of Groningen (UMCG). METHODS In November 2008, postal questionnaires were sent to 996 people enrolled at the UMCG body donor database. The present study focuses on motives for donation and social background characteristics of the body donors. FINDINGS Registered donors responded quickly and the survey response rate was high (76%). The mean age of respondents was 69 years and the majority described themselves as Dutch (98%) and non-church affiliated (79%). One quarter (25%) of the respondents are/were health care professionals and 11% involved in education. Principal factor analysis revealed three dimensions underlying ten different motivations for body donation: a desire to be useful after death, a negative attitude towards funerals and expression of gratitude. Despite the current economic recession only 8% of respondents are prompted by money motives to bequeath their bodies. CONCLUSIONS The majority of motives for body donation stem from the wish to be useful after death. However, the present survey suggests that body donation is more than an altruistic act; people are also motivated by personal benefit. Results of our survey contradict the notion that body donation stems from loneliness. Many donors have a supportive social network and meaningful social relationships. People moreover propagate body donation within their social networks.

Religious Belief, Church Involvement, and Ethnocentrism in the Netherlands

Using data from a national Dutch survey, this research examined the influence of Christian belief on both ethnic prejudice and nationalism for the total sample of respondents, for the subset of nonmembers, and for three different groups of church members. The findings indicated that Christian belief had no effect on ethnic prejudice independent of localism and authoritarianism for the entire sample, for nonmembers, or for marginal and modal church members, but it did have a negative effect on ethnic prejudice for core church members. Furthermore, Christian belief had a significant positive effect on nationalism for the sample as a whole and for marginal and modal church members, but it had no independent effect on nationalism for nonmembers or for core church members. Possible explanations for these results are discussed.

Dietary restraint: Intention versus behavior to restrict food intake

The Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire Restraint Scale (DEBQ-R) assesses both intentions to restrict food intake (3 items) and actual behavioral restraint (7 items). Studies in general populations samples have shown that the DEBQ-R is a reliable instrument with all items loading highly on a single factor. The purpose of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of a two-factor intention-versus-behavior structure of the DEBQ-R in 3 different weight-concerned samples with people from different (over)weight categories (total N=790) using confirmatory factor analysis. A robust two-factor structure emerged in the various samples, generally supporting a distinction between DEBQ-R questions relating to intentions to restrict food intake and actual restrictive behavior. Results obtained in this study are important, because they suggest that a distinction between restrained intention and behavior could help to explain the relation between dietary restraint and external overeating tendencies. Future longitudinal research should examine whether the newly developed dietary restraint scales predict changes in overeating and Body Mass Index (BMI).

Assessing Cross-National Invariance of the Three-Component Model of Organizational Commitment: A Six-Country Study of European University Faculty

This study examined cross-national invariance of Meyer and Allen’s three-component model of organizational commitment using samples of university faculty from six European countries. The analysis revealed strict factorial measurement invariance of affective, continuance, and normative organizational commitment constructs (AC, CC, and NC, respectively). While the samples failed to differ in AC and CC, substantial cross-national differences were found for NC. Results showed an invariant zero correlation between AC and CC, and NC associated positively with affective and continuance components. Procedural justice predicted AC and less strongly NC, but it had no effect on CC. A positive link with job performance was found for AC, a negative one for CC, and no association for NC. Results by and large support the generalizability of the tripartite organizational commitment model to the European context.

Explaining the relationship between Christian religion and anti-semitism in the Netherlands

This paper addresses the question as to why many Christians hold prejudice against Jews. We try to find out whether, and to explain why the relationship between Christian religion and anti-Semitism in the Netherlands is inherent to Christian religion, spurious, or suppressed. We offer a theoretical model that combines the explanation of Glock and Stark and suggestions made by their critics. We test this theoretical model using data from a 1990-91 national Dutch survey (n = 1,134). Our findings indicate that the relationship between Christian religion and anti-Semitism is largely spurious, due to the breadth of perspective of people on social reality. However, Christian religion still is one of the determinants of secular anti-Semitism. We found no evidence of a suppressed relationship.

Anatomist on the dissecting table? Dutch anatomical professionals' views on body donation

Anatomical professionals know better than anyone else that donated bodies are a valuable asset to anatomical science and medical education. They highly value voluntary donations, since a dearth of bodies negatively affects their profession. With this in mind, we conducted a survey (n = 54) at the 171st scientific meeting of the Dutch Anatomical Society in 2009 to see to what extent anatomical professionals are willing to donate their own body. The results reveal that none of the survey participants are registered as a whole body donor and that only a quarter of them would consider the possibility of body donation. We argue that the two main constraints preventing Dutch anatomical professionals from donating their own body are their professional and their social environments. In contrast to the absence of registered body donors, half of the anatomical professionals are registered as an organ donor. This figure far exceeds the proportion of registered organ donors among the general Dutch population. Clin. Anat. 25:168–175, 2012.

Personality and motivation for body donation

BACKGROUND This study examines the relationship between motivation for body donation to science and personality characteristics using a body donor survey (N=759) conducted by the University Medical Centre Groningen (UMCG) in The Netherlands. The survey expands on anthropological studies that suggest an association between donor motivation and personality. METHODS A structural equation model was used to investigate the relationship between personality and motivation for body donation. FINDINGS The results show that, compared to society at large, body donors have a similar spectrum of personality characteristics. However, we found statistically significant positive relationships between donor motivation and Big Five personality traits. Together the personality traits explain between 5% and 15% of the variance in motivation for body donation. CONCLUSIONS We argue that donor campaigns should not focus solely on altruistic motives, but should include the aspect of possible personal achievement by the donor. This is a fruitful starting point for approaching potential donors and anticipating their needs.

Christian religion and ethnic prejudice in cross-national perspective : A comparative analysis of the Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium)

Almost every student of religion has heard about the research thesis that Christian religious beliefs and behaviors are not barriers against but contributing factors to the development and dispersal of ethnic and racial prejudice. This cross-societal study examines this accusing finger of social research by using data from a 1985 Dutch survey and a 1991 Flemish survey conducted in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. The findings indicate that in both societies neither church involvement nor Christian belief have an effect on ethnic prejudice, independent of important background characteristics (education and age) and social correlates (social and cultural localism, authoritarianism, and anomie). Regression analysis also reveals that, next to authoritarianism, the most important predictor variable of ethnic prejudice in this comparative study is nationality per se. Implications of this finding for future research are discussed.

Explaining career motivation among female doctors in the Netherlands: The effects of children, views on motherhood and work-home cultures

The gender imbalance in senior medical positions is often attributed to an alleged lack of motivation on the part of female doctors, especially those with young children. Some researchers argue that an unsupportive work-home culture in the medical workplace also plays a role. This study investigates whether having children (and the age of the youngest child) affects female doctors’ career motivation and whether this relationship is mediated by views on motherhood and the supportiveness of the work-home culture. Cross-sectional data collected on 1070 Dutch female doctors in 2008 indicates that neither having children nor the age of the youngest child significantly affects the career motivation of female doctors. However, views on motherhood and a supportive work-home culture do affect female doctors’ career motivation. Governmental and organizational policies aimed at maternal employment and improving the work-life balance are discussed in terms of their effectiveness in supporting highly educated working women.

Application of Herek's attitudes toward lesbians and gay men scale in The Netherlands

A national sample of 921 respondents from the Dutch population completed the translated, slightly modified version of Hereks Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men Scale, originally developed in the USA for the assessment of attitudes toward lesbians and gay men. The present study was the first attempt to test the applicability of the scale in the Netherlands. In line with previous American findings, all scale items loaded highly on one factor. The scores also correlated with another measure of attitudes toward lesbians and gay men, namely, ‘denial of equal rights’ (r = .76), and with ‘traditional view of women’ (r = .48), ‘importance of traditional marriage’ (r = .53), and ‘authoritarianism’ (r = .31). Data support the scales acceptable reliability and construct and discriminant validity.