How Does Divorce Affect Iranian Women's Sexual Well-Being? |
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| Authors: | Fatemeh Zarei Ann Rosemary Taket Azam Rahmani Thomas G Smith |
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| Institution: | 1. College of Health Education and Promotion, Tehran University of Medical Sciences , Tehran , Iran;2. Centre for Health Through Action on Social Exclusion, School of Health and Social Development, Deakin University , Melbourne , Victoria , Australia;3. Department of Midwifery &4. Reproductive Health , Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University , Tehran , Iran;5. Medical University of South Carolina , Charleston , South Carolina , USA |
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| Abstract: | Sexuality and divorce are two interwoven subjects with complex effects on women's sexual well-being in Iranian culture. Results of this exploratory study using focus group discussions and individual interviews revealed how the sexual well-being of women was influenced by the divorce experience through common patterns and recurring themes. A total of 26 women participated voluntarily in the study. They were approached through a selected social support group in a center in West Tehran in 2011, and all had been divorced for less than 10 years. For the majority, sexuality-related matters became complicated and jeopardized their overall well-being in postdivorce life. This finding, along with the fact that the majority were seeking financial and emotional support, implies that counseling women and providing economic support for postdivorce life might improve women's sexual well-being. |
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| Keywords: | divorce/separation sexual well-being somatization well-being women's sexuality |
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