An unintended pregnancy wouldn't be the worst thing: Using the EPPM to predict women's intentions to use contraceptives

This study examined the relative importance of the constructs of the Extended Parallel Process Model and communication about contraceptives in predicting 18-30 year old women's intentions to use contraceptives the next time they have sexual intercourse. A telephone survey of 18-30 year old women (N = 599) was conducted to investigate what factors influenced women's contraceptive behavioral intentions. Hierarchical, multivariate linear regression was used to assess the impact of perceived severity, susceptibility, response efficacy, self-efficacy, fear, and past use, while controlling for age and income. The R2 for the complete model was 0.40. Age and talking with best friend were negatively related to intention. Women who perceived that having an unintended pregnancy would be more severe, were more likely to intend to take action to prevent an unintended pregnancy, although 50% of the women reported being ambivalent about having an unintended pregnancy. Using birth control the last time a woman had sex was the most powerful predictor of future intentions. These finding have implications for interventions designed to prevent unintended pregnancies. Specific programs may need to be targeted at older women, who may be more lax about their contraceptive use. Interventions need to be cautious in encouraging or creating communication between friends without attention to the content since communication might have a negative impact on contraceptive use. It is important to emphasize that unintended pregnancies are serious and have consequences, while highlighting that being ambivalent should equal protecting one's self against unintended pregnancies.