Worlds apart or two sides of the same coin? Attitudes, meanings, and motives of potential oocyte and sperm donors in Austria.

PURPOSE: Gamete donors and recipients of such donations have been explored by previous studies, which mostly focus on post-donation scenarios. Our study analyses the general willingness to donate oocytes or sperm and focuses on differences between potential female and male donors in attitudes, meanings, and motives in a pre-donation setting. METHODS: An electronic survey (n = 555 students) was used in this anonymous observational study. To enable comparisons between men and women regarding their attitudes, meanings, and motives and their willingness to donate gametes, we designed two separate questionnaires. RESULTS: The sample was divided into three groups based on the willingness to donate: potential donors (n = 133; women: 48.1%, men: 51.9%); doubtful donors (n = 207; women: 75.8%, men: 24.2%); and non-donors (n = 215; women: 68.3%, men: 31.7%). The group of potential male donors (39.2%) was significantly larger than the group of potential female donors (16.9%). Significant differences regarding altruism, the meaning of one's self-worth, and passing on the own genes were found between doubtful and potential donors. Potential donors attached less value to altruism but more value to the enhancement of one's self-worth and passing on one's genes than doubtful donors. The motive of passing on one's genes and altruistic motives were more important to men than to women. CONCLUSION: This study helps to create a better understanding of potential donors in the existing donation framework and supports the evaluation of the given regimes in the context of designing an improved framework.

[Predictors of mental and physical quality of life in Huntington's disease]. / Prädiktoren der psychischen und physischen Lebensqualität beim Morbus Huntington.

BACKGROUND: The assessment of health-related quality of life (hrQoL) is an important tool in therapy studies and in the treatment of patients with Huntington's disease (HD). In the absence of causal interventions, HD therapy targets the alleviation of symptoms aiming to improve impaired hrQoL. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of disease characteristics on hrQoL in HD. METHODS: A total of 80 genetically confirmed HD patients underwent an assessment using the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Hamilton Rating Scale and the SF-36, a scale for the assessment of physical and mental QoL. RESULTS: Multiple regression analysis revealed that health-related physical and mental QoL was considerably influenced by the functional capacity. The mental QoL also correlated with the degree of depressive symptoms, age and the number of CAG repeats. However, there was no statistical relation between QoL and motor and cognitive abilities. DISCUSSION: This study underlines the relationship between function capacity and depressive symptoms with mental and physical QoL. This is the first time that hrQoL has been investigated in a German speaking cohort. The results are in accordance with previous studies of hrQoL in HD.