The social consequences of infertility among Iranian women: A qualitative study

Background: Infertility may prevent couples to achieve the desired social roles and lead to some social and psychological problems. This study aimed to explain the social consequences of infertility in Iranian women seeking treatment. Materials and Methods: A qualitative content analysis was conducted based on 32 semi-structured interviews with 25 women affected by primary and secondary infertility with no surviving children. The participants were purposefully selected with maximum variability from a fertility health research center in Tehran, Iran, from January to October 2012. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed using the conventional content analysis method. Results: Our findings indicate that the consequences of infertility are divided into five main categories: 1. violence including psychological violence and domestic physical violence, 2. marital instability or uncertainty, 3. social isolation including avoiding certain people or certain social events and self-imposed isolation from family and friends, 4. social exclusion and partial deprivation including being disregarded by family members and relatives and reducing social interactions with the infertile woman and 5. social alienation. Conclusion: This study reveals that Iranian women with fertility issues seeking treatment face several social problems that could have devastating effects on the quality of their lives. It is, therefore, recommended that, in Iran, infertility is only considered as a biomedical issue of a couple and pay further attention to its sociocultural dimensions and consequences. © 2015, Royan Institute (ACECR). All rights reserved

Parents� concerns regarding the growth characteristics of their adolescents: a qualitative inquiry in Iran

In recent times, parents have become increasingly concerned, both subjectively and objectively, about their adolescents' body height/weight growth. Parent-adolescent interactions about this issue and the potential socio-psychological consequences of such interactions should be considered as an important influencing factor on the future of adolescents' sexual and reproductive health. To achieve a greater understanding of such concerns, it is necessary to further elucidate parents' experiences on this topic, so as to expand the existing literature. This study aimed to explain the perceptions of parents' concerns regarding their adolescents' growth characteristics in the socio-cultural context of Iran as a transitional society. This paper is part of a larger qualitative study designed using the Constructivist Grounded Theory Methodology (CGTM). We conducted open-ended intensive interviews with eleven parents individually and recruited them through purposeful and theoretical sampling from a teaching hospital, community, and a primary school in Tehran with theoretical sampling variation in terms of teenagers' age, sex, and birth order, place of residence, parents' occupation and education, and the self-reported socio-economic status. Using the analytical procedures of the CGTM, we performed analyses. In the findings, the concept of 'living with constant sense of uncertainty' emerged from the subcategories including 'feeling existing and potential concern about expected minimum and maximum bio-positions of growth,' 'feeling potential concern about biological health consequences,' 'feeling potential concern about the emergence of early/late maturity signs,' 'feeling potential concern about adolescent's emotional threat,' 'feeling concerned about future employment, education, marriage, and fertility,' and 'feeling potential concern about the society's view'. These findings suggest that parents are living with a constant sense of uncertainty about their teens' growth characteristics throughout the transition from adolescence. All stakeholders including parents, health-care practitioners and policymakers, and anthropologists/sociologists should be focus on such concerns, in order to manage them and their possible socio-psychological burdens. © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

Parents� concerns regarding the growth characteristics of their adolescents: a qualitative inquiry in Iran

In recent times, parents have become increasingly concerned, both subjectively and objectively, about their adolescents' body height/weight growth. Parent-adolescent interactions about this issue and the potential socio-psychological consequences of such interactions should be considered as an important influencing factor on the future of adolescents' sexual and reproductive health. To achieve a greater understanding of such concerns, it is necessary to further elucidate parents' experiences on this topic, so as to expand the existing literature. This study aimed to explain the perceptions of parents' concerns regarding their adolescents' growth characteristics in the socio-cultural context of Iran as a transitional society. This paper is part of a larger qualitative study designed using the Constructivist Grounded Theory Methodology (CGTM). We conducted open-ended intensive interviews with eleven parents individually and recruited them through purposeful and theoretical sampling from a teaching hospital, community, and a primary school in Tehran with theoretical sampling variation in terms of teenagers' age, sex, and birth order, place of residence, parents' occupation and education, and the self-reported socio-economic status. Using the analytical procedures of the CGTM, we performed analyses. In the findings, the concept of 'living with constant sense of uncertainty' emerged from the subcategories including 'feeling existing and potential concern about expected minimum and maximum bio-positions of growth,' 'feeling potential concern about biological health consequences,' 'feeling potential concern about the emergence of early/late maturity signs,' 'feeling potential concern about adolescent's emotional threat,' 'feeling concerned about future employment, education, marriage, and fertility,' and 'feeling potential concern about the society's view'. These findings suggest that parents are living with a constant sense of uncertainty about their teens' growth characteristics throughout the transition from adolescence. All stakeholders including parents, health-care practitioners and policymakers, and anthropologists/sociologists should be focus on such concerns, in order to manage them and their possible socio-psychological burdens. © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

Home birth and barriers to referring women with obstetric complications to hospitals: a mixed-methods study in Zahedan, southeastern Iran

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>One factor that contributes to high maternal mortality in developing countries is the delayed use of Emergency Obstetric-Care (EmOC) facilities. The objective of this study was to determine the factors that hinder midwives and parturient women from using hospitals when complications occur during home birth in Sistan and Baluchestan province, Iran, where 23% of all deliveries take place in non- hospital settings.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In the study and data management, a mixed-methods approach was used. In the quantitative phase, we compared the existing health-sector data with World Health Organization (WHO) standards for the availability and use of EmOC services. The qualitative phase included collection and analysis of interviews with midwives and traditional birth attendants and twenty-one in-depth interviews with mothers. The data collected in this phase were managed according to the principles of qualitative data analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The findings demonstrate that three distinct factors lead to indecisiveness and delay in the use of EmOC by the midwives and mothers studied. Socio-cultural and familial reasons compel some women to choose to give birth at home and to hesitate seeking professional emergency care for delivery complications. Apprehension about being insulted by physicians, the necessity of protecting their professional integrity in front of patients and an inability to persuade their patients lead to an over-insistence by midwives on completing deliveries at the mothers' homes and a reluctance to refer their patients to hospitals. The low quality and expense of EmOC and the mothers' lack of health insurance also contribute to delays in referral.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Women who choose to give birth at home accept the risk that complications may arise. Training midwives and persuading mothers and significant others who make decisions about the value of referring women to hospitals at the onset of life-threatening complications are central factors to increasing the use of available hospitals. The hospitals must be safe, comfortable and attractive environments for parturition and should give appropriate consideration to the ethical and cultural concerns of the women. Appropriate management of financial and insurance-related issues can help midwives and mothers make a rational decision when complications arise.</p

The study of professional identity of the PH.D. Students with Grounded theory method (Case study: PH.D. Students of social sciences in Iran 2016 – 2017)

Accepted doctoral students in the social sciences in Iran have doubled since 86-87Ta94-95T. This increase, apart from road infrastructure in the humanities and social sciences research. Lack of job opportunities, particularly in the field of professional and social sciences in Iran, the importance of assessing the status of the actors involved in the field of social sciences has doubled. The study examines how a professional identity among doctoral students in the social sciences has been discussed. The research method used was based on grounded theory. The basic subject of study called the phenomenon of professional identity has been uneven.The study examines how a professional identity among doctoral students in the social sciences has been discussed. The research method used was based on grounded theory. The true measure of its regular professional knowledge, job definition in line with the social sciences and the mental representation and reproduction of knowledge is not consistent with the approach favored relationship

Fear of stigma: The lived experiences of Iranian women after suicide attempt

Background: Suicide attempt is the most important predictor of completed suicide. The aim of this study was to explore the lived experiences of women after suicide attempts. Methods: This was an interpretative phenomenological study carried out through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 13 interviews. Data were analyzed using Van Manen method. Results: Women of this study experienced fears of stigma. Their fears were not only related to labels of being �unbelief and mentally illness but also being involved in illicit sexual affairs.� On the other hand, they were afraid of labeling �mental illness� and also �doing an unacceptable action.�. Conclusion: The women tried to hide their suicide attempts because they fear of being labeled by others. It is recommended that societies and families progress toward becoming free of stigma of suicide and suicide attempt. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, In

Fear of stigma: The lived experiences of Iranian women after suicide attempt

Background: Suicide attempt is the most important predictor of completed suicide. The aim of this study was to explore the lived experiences of women after suicide attempts. Methods: This was an interpretative phenomenological study carried out through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 13 interviews. Data were analyzed using Van Manen method. Results: Women of this study experienced fears of stigma. Their fears were not only related to labels of being �unbelief and mentally illness but also being involved in illicit sexual affairs.� On the other hand, they were afraid of labeling �mental illness� and also �doing an unacceptable action.�. Conclusion: The women tried to hide their suicide attempts because they fear of being labeled by others. It is recommended that societies and families progress toward becoming free of stigma of suicide and suicide attempt. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, In

An Evolutionary Route for the Moral Development of Nursing Students: A Constructivist Grounded Theory

Background: Developing moral competency is a main aim of educational systems, especially in healthcare-related disciplines. Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the moral development process in nursing students. Methods: This study used a constructivist grounded theory. Twenty-five semistructured, face-to-face interview with 22 participants were conducted to gather the data. The participants were nursing students and educators attending three nursing schools in Tehran. Results: Moral development evolves within nursing students following a stepwise progression. Within each step or phase, students experience specific changes with regard to both their practical skills and their moral capabilities and competencies. Three main steps were identified: moral transition, moral reconstruction, and moral internalization. Techno-scientific competence, biomedical competence, and nursing competence are developed in each step, respectively. Conclusions/Implications for Practice: Moral competency in nursing students develops along with their competency as nursing practitioners. To facilitate progress through each phase, it needs to be ensured that the learning experiences that students are exposed to during each consecutive year of study facilitate as much as possible the development of moral competence. © 2018 Taiwan Nurses Association

Psychometric properties of the Persian version of Social Adaptation Self-evaluation Scale in community-dwelling older adults

Pouya Farokhnezhad Afshar,1 Mahshid Foroughan,1 AbouAli Vedadhir,2 Mahmood Ghazi Tabatabaie2 1Department of Gerontology, Iranian Research Center On Aging, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 2Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran Introduction: The Social Adaptation Self-evaluation Scale (SASS) is used to measure social function and social motivation in depressed patients. There is little attention to social function in the treatment of depression. The aim of this study was to assess the validity and reliability of the Persian version of SASS (P-SASS) for older adults.Participants and methods: This is a cross-sectional and methodological study. The participants were 550 community-dwelling older adults living in Tehran who were selected randomly from the primary health care centers. To assess the psychometric properties of SASS, we first did translation and cross-cultural adjustment on SASS and then used P-SASS and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) for gathering data. A number of analyses, including Pearson&rsquo;s correlation, exploratory factor analysis, and Cronbach&rsquo;s &alpha;, and receiver operating characteristic curve were used to manage the data with the IBM SPSS Statistics V.22. Results: The mean age of the participants was 66.09&plusmn;6.67&nbsp;years, and 58.9% of them were male. The Cronbach&rsquo;s &alpha;&nbsp;was 0.97. The test&ndash;retest reliability correlation coefficient was 0.78. Principal component analysis showed that P-SASS consists of two components. P-SASS score showed a significant negative correlation with GDS (r=-0.91, P&lt;0.01), which suggests good convergent validity. The P-SASS cutoff point was 28 (sensitivity: 0.97 and specificity: 0.94).Conclusion: P-SASS has good reliability and validity for older adults. So, it can be considered as an appropriate tool to evaluate the social function and social motivation of older persons with and without depression. Keywords: reliability, validity, Social Adaptation Self-evaluation Scale, older adult, social functio

HIV, migration, gender, and drug addiction: A qualitative study of intersectional stigma towards Afghan immigrants in Iran

HIV-related stigma has been identified as a major barrier to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of HIV among immigrants. The intersection of HIV with other forms of stigma can lead to greater inequality in health outcomes and access to health services. This study aimed to improve the understanding of HIV stigma towards Afghan immigrants in Iran through an intersectional perspective. The data were collected using 25 semi-structured interviews with the following three groups: Afghan immigrants who were diagnosed with or at risk of HIV infection due to injection drug addiction or having multiple sexual partners (n = 8), HIV service providers (n = 8), and policymakers/managers/experts (n = 9). Thematic analysis was used for data analysis. The participants described different manifestations of stigma (internalized, anticipated, perceived, experienced stigma, and discrimination) associated with HIV and interlocked with other aspects of stigma, including migration, gender, and drug addiction. According to the results, the intersection of different layers of stigma should be taken into account while designing and implementing HIV prevention and treatment programmes. It was also recommended to conduct the necessary interventions such as comprehensive HIV education, social support, as well as peer and outreach services to reduce stigma and discrimination based on the immigrants' needs as well as cultural and social values