DISSONANT LOSS - THE EXPERIENCES OF DONOR RELATIVES

Narrative type interviews were carried out with a purposive sample of 24 relatives of organ donors. Relatives were recruited through 3 Regio nal transplant co-ordinating centres in England. The study examined in -depth the relatives': emotional reactions to the death and donation, perceptions of the decision-making process, assessment of the problems donation caused for them, as well as the benefits it provided. An und erstanding of what the experience meant to them was elicited, as was t he identification of their needs. The interviews were audiotaped and t ranscribed. The transcripts were analysed using a grounded theory appr oach, based on the constant comparative method. Themes emerging from t he data were named to form categories. Categories were defined and int egrated around the central theme of the research to form an analytical version of the story. Donor relatives' experiences were found to revo lve around a process of conflict and resolution. Their experience is e xplained as a theory of ''Dissonant Loss''. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevie r Science Ltd.