Page 46 - Zero for nine: Reducing alcohol use during pregnancy via health counselling and Internet-based computer-tailored feedback

Chapter 2
revealed the same significant correlates as the first model, uncovering the independent influence of perceived partner norm, in addition to education and perceived severity, in explaining prenatal alcohol use. Reported partner influence was not significant. The three models are presented in Table 2.4.
Discussion
This study aimed to investigate the influence of partners on pregnant women’s alcohol consumption within the context of other factors. Prenatal alcohol use was examined in a dichotomous manner (yes/no), because research has shown that even light alcohol use may pose a risk to the fetus (Nathanson, et al., 2007), and many countries recommend complete abstinence from alcohol (O’Leary, et al., 2007). This study is the first to demonstrate that partner norm as perceived by a pregnant woman is the most important of the perceived and reported constructs of partner influence in explaining prenatal alcohol use, demonstrating that a woman is more likely to use alcohol during pregnancy when she thinks that her partner agrees with this decision.
This study also assessed whether the constructs of perceived and reported partner influence were independently related to prenatal alcohol use. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to demonstrate that women who used alcohol during pregnancy more often had a partner whom they perceived and who himself reported that he did not consider prenatal alcohol abstinence important. The present study replicated other research demonstrating that a partner’s alcohol use as perceived by the pregnant woman (Bakhireva, et al., 2011) and reported by the partner (Waterson, et al., 1990) is positively related to prenatal alcohol use. Finally, and to the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to demonstrate that partner support as reported by the partner rather than as perceived by the pregnant woman had a significant negative association with prenatal alcohol use.
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