Predicting Lamaze Childbirth Intentions and Outcomes: An Extension of the Theory of Reasoned Action to a Joint Outcome

Within the framework of the Fishbein/Ajzen Theory of Reasoned Action (1980), 58 respondents were interviewed about their intentions to use the Lamaze method of childbirth. Prenatal interviews were conducted with 20 married couples recruited primarily through Lamaze classes and 18 expectant mothers recruited from a prenatal public health clinic. Outcome information was collected from 15 of the couples during postnatal interviews. Multiple regression analyses showed that behavioral intentions of husbands and of wives could be predicted from the model's terms (p<.01 and p<.06), as could the joint outcome ratings of couples (p<.01). Husbands' attitude toward having a Lamaze birth (A[sub act]) proved to be the best predictor of behavioral intention (BI) and of couples' joint outcome rating. The generality of the model was demonstrated by its ability to predict BI in both samples of women, despite demographic and methodological differences. The effects of variables external to the model were found to be mediated by the model's terms within each sample of women, but to contribute independent variance to prediction for the combined sample. Based on the data and interviewing experience, a theory of Lamaze involvement is proposed.