This report provides a content analysis of studies conducted with Jordanian women on contraception. Factors such as pressure to have children, number and gender of children, location of residence, influence of religion, level of education, age, employment status, source of contraceptive services and method of contraception are discussed. Non-demographic factors, such as social and psychosocial, were found to be only briefly investigated and discussed in the literature. Nursing implications discussed are conducting educational programmes, encouraging the participation of significant others and religious leaders, and using appropriate terminology when discussing contraception with Jordanian women.

In this article, the authors identify attitudes, normative beliefs, and behavioral control beliefs of Muslim Jordanian women with regard to avoiding unplanned pregnancy and using specific contraceptive methods. Based on Ajzen and Fishbein's theory of planned behavior, open-ended questions were used in audio-taped face-to-face interviews with 25 married 19-44-year-old Jordanian Muslim women. A majority of respondents interviewed were currently using an intrauterine device (IUD) for contraception. Few women were using oral contraceptives, condoms, or the rhythm method and none of them reported using foam or a diaphragm. Content analyses of narrative transcriptions suggest the individual's concerns for family and individual well-being, as well as husbands' and families' opinions, may influence women's contraceptive behavior in this population.

Condoms are a time-honored and reliable method of protection against pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. However, their use, and thus their effectiveness, is determined by individual behavior. The purpose of this paper is to report attitudes and salient beliefs related to condom use in a sample of adult women. The study used Ajzen and Fishbein's Theory of Planned Behavior to identify modal, salient beliefs regarding condom acquisition and use as intentional behaviors. The study sample consisted of 58 community women who reported using condoms for contraceptive purposes within the last five years. In face-to-face, audiotaped interviews, open-ended questions were used to solicit beliefs regarding condom acquisition and use. All subject narratives were content-analyzed for recurrent themes. Women cited accessibility and effectiveness in preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases as both advantages and as factors contributing to the ease of acquisition and use. Disadvantages and factors that might deter condom acquisition and use included embarrassment, objections by male partner, and effect on spontaneity. Overall, subjects exhibited accurate knowledge regarding the benefits of condom acquisition and use. However, it is possible that expressed negative beliefs could take precedence in decision-making and reduce the probability of consistent condom use.

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We tested the psychometric properties of an instrument entitled intention to use oral contraceptive tool (IUOCT). This instrument was developed to evaluate Jordanian Muslim women's intention to use oral contraceptives (OCs). We used the theory of planned behavior (TPB) as a conceptual framework for developing the IUOCT. The internal consistency of the IUOCT ranged from .70 to .94. The stability of IUOCT ranged from.79 to.85. Factor analysis identified four factors that represented the three constructs of the TPB. The known-group technique showed significant difference between past users and nonpast users of OCs. The predictive validity analysis showed that each scale contributed to the variability in the intention.