ANDRADE, Cláudia    FONTAINE, Anne Marie. Abordagem psicossocial dos comportamentos orientados para a Saúde: estudo dos factores de previsão da aceitação e da rejeição do Diagnóstico Pré-Natal. []. , 18, 4, pp.499-521. ISSN 0870-8231.

The framework of this study draws from two social-cognitive and motivational models: Rosenstocks´s (1974) Health Belief Model, that was developed to explain and to predict behaviour in health contexts, and Ajzen and Fishbein´s (1980) Theory of Reasoned Action as applied to the field of prenatal diagnosis (Davies, 1983). The aim of this study is to describe attitudes and behaviours of women who accept or decline prenatal diagnosis. Results of a discriminant function analysis conducted on 60 subjects classified 83% of acceptance group, 93% for the declining group and 88.3% of correct classifications in general. The factors involved in the decision making process, such as education, perceived barriers and advantages of taking the exam, previous knowledge of prenatal diagnosis and of Down´s syndrome, attitudes towards abortion, medicals and medicine, and procriation, and health locus of control significantly discriminated between those who accepted and those who declined prenatal diagnosis. The most important demographic variables were the number of previous children and education level. Religion, previous experience with Down´s syndrome and the influence of powerful others in health locus of control failed to discriminate between the groups. The results appear in line with the theoretical models, and support an attitude based explanation of decision making about prenatal diagnosis and, of more general prenatal health related behaviours.

: Uptake prenatal diagnosis; decline prenatal diagnosis; advanced maternal age; Theory of Reasoned Action; Health Belief Model.

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