Which Change Begets Change?: Modeling Risky Behavior Change as the Result of an HIV Prevention Intervention.

The Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA, Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975) argues that interventions that change psychological mediators (e.g., intent to use condoms) will change behavior that maintains or improves health (e.g., condom use). Yet, no research to date had examined whether change in theoretical mediators actually produces targeted behavior change. To test TRA theoretical predictions, structural equation models of the TRA were specified and evaluated using measures obtained in an HIV longitudinal prevention intervention study (N = 144 women) where a significant reduction of HIV risk behavior over time had been documented. Although some of the predicted theoretical relationships were significant, predicted mediators accounted for no more than 4 percent of the variance in changes in health-maintaining behavior. These results suggests that other factors need to be considered in the theory and thus in interventions. Implications and limitations of the findings are discussed and suggestions for future research are considered. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]