Predicting parental anticonvulsant medication compliance using the theory of reasoned action.

One approach to better understanding compliance behavior is the use of the theory of reasoned action. In this article, the theory of reasoned action is used to predict the compliance behavior of 29 parents of children with epilespy. In support of the theory, behavioral intention was found to significantly predict (p less than 0.01) parental medicine-giving behavior. Contrary to the results predicted by the theory, parents' attitudes toward giving the medication correlated with a significant amount of variance in medicine-giving behavior beyond that accounted for by behavioral intention.