"Selling blood": Characteristics and motivations of student plasma donors

This multimethod study examines selected characteristics and the motivation al dynamics of remunerated blood plasma donation by U.S. university student s. Ten percent of students surveyed reported selling plasma. In comparison to nondonors and nonremunerated student Red Cross donors, paid student plas ma donors tended to be predominantly male and from higher income families a nd to have higher rates of employment while in school. They also exhibited greater rates of alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking. Drawing on focu s-group and individual interviews, the authors describe the student plasma donation experience, with particular emphasis on motivational dynamics. Unl ike nonremunerated Red Cross donors, plasma donors do not feel a strong ide ntification with the altruistic aspects of the blood donor role. Rather, th ey are motivated to continue donating in order to secure an easy source of pocket money, which they tend to spend freely especially on social drinking in student bars. Among students willing to sell plasma more than a few tim es, self-deferral from long-term donation tended to result from growing con cerns about the physical effects of continuing donation, increases in dispo sable income from other sources, or both. The article concludes with a disc ussion of the implications of the findings for social policy and for future research.