Factors Predicting Intention to Attend HIV Screening Services among Pregnant Women’s Spouses

This descriptive research aimed to determine the predictive power of attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control on the intention of the spouse of pregnant women to attend HIV screening services. Two hundred and twelve spouses who accompanied their wife at antenatal care units, Hatyai Hospital and Songkla Hospital were purposively selected. The data were collected using a set of questionnaires developed from theory of planned behaviors and a literature review. It was comprised of 1) personal information, 2) attitudes about HIV screening, 3) subjective norms, 4) perceived behavioral control and 5) intention to attend HIV screening services. The questionnaires were tested for reliability, yielding Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranging from .85 to .94. The statistics used for data analysis were frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient and stepwise multiple regression analysis. The results showed that most subjects rated their attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and intention to attend HIV screening services at a moderate level. In addition, attitudes, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control accounted for 24 % of the variance of intention to attend HIV screening services particularly subjective norms which were the most significant factors (β = .41, b = .04, p \< .001). The findings suggested that nurses and health care providers should promote and improve counseling services for all couples who attended the antenatal care in order to assist the husbands’ decision making in utilizing the HIV voluntary testing services.