Showing 17 results for Lived Experience
Hossein Khajebahrami, Khalil Ghaffari, Alireza Faghihi,
Volume 20, Issue 97 (3-2021)
Abstract
Background: The sixth grade is the gateway to adolescence. Entering adolescence, a person needs to have basic life skills in three areas: cognitive, emotional and behavioral. The study on the status of teaching these abilities in students has been neglected. Aims: The aim of this study was to discover the lived experiences of sixth grade elementary students and their teachers about the status of teaching basic life skills. Method: This research has been done with a qualitative approach and phenomenological method. The required data were collected using semi-structured in-depth interviews. The statistical population of the study included all sixth grade elementary school teachers and students in Kerman province in the academic year 2019-2020 and the statistical sample consisted of 100 sixth grade elementary school students and teachers who were purposefully selected. The obtained data were analyzed by Colaizzi method. Results: Analysis of participants' experiences leads to the identification of 3 main themes of intellectual abilities with sub-themes of self-knowledge, creative thinking and critical thinking and emotional abilities with sub-themes of effective communication, empathy and management of emotions and behavioral abilities with sub-themes the Problem Solving, purposefully and decision making Conclusions: The results of the research based on lived experiences showed that the situation of teaching basic life skills to sixth grade elementary students is not favorable and needs to be reviewed and improved.
Hossein Pourshahriar, Samin Baharshanjani, Marziyeh Dindoost,
Volume 20, Issue 107 (11-2021)
Abstract
Background: The spread of the coronavirus causes many problems, including anxiety, depression, being away from relatives, and increasing feelings of loneliness. However, research has not yet comprehensively explained what problems and challenges will be faced by mourning spouses with coronavirus.
Aims: The aim of the present study was to identify the life experiences of mourning spouses during the corona virus pandemic.
Methods: present study was qualitative descriptive phenomenology. The sample consisted of 8 mourning spouses in Tehran who lost their partners in the period from April to September 2020. Targeted and snowball sampling methods were used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, then implemented verbatim and analyzed by the seven-step Colaizzi’s method.
Results: In this study, 4 main themes include: 1) Concerns (Worries about survival, worries about children, financial concerns); 2) personal reactions (Emotional reactions, behavioral reactions); 3) changes in social relations (Communication with relatives, communication with coworkers); 4) A change of perspective (Towards the world, towards those around) was identified.
Conclusion: According to the findings, it can be said that the lives of mourning spouses have been severely affected by this disease and the death of their spouses, and it is necessary to provide support systems for them according to their circumstances.
Mahmood Amirbeigi, Mohammad Reza Taghavi, Mehdi Mohammadi, Mahdi Imani,
Volume 21, Issue 114 (9-2022)
Abstract
Background: Bipolar disorder is one of the most complicated psychiatric disorders. On the one hand, different theoretical models emphasize different structures and there are serious defects in this area and on the other hand, psychological therapies for bipolar disorder are only added as adjunctive therapy to biological therapies. Thus, our knowledge about this disorder is limited.
Aims: The purpose of this study is the extraction of the effective therapeutic factors based on the lived experiences of bipolar patients.
Methods: In this experiment, a phenomenological-based qualitative method was used. The data was collected by the semi structured interview and inconvenient sampling. Nine participants from the bipolar spectrum (regardless of the type) were interviewed and through the extraction of the lived experiences, the concepts were extracted.
Results: In this study 5 organizer concepts were extracted. The organizer concepts were: lifestyle (sleeping and awakening, having routines in life, goals and values in life and medicinal adherence), social communications (assigning one’s responsibility to the others, not being understood by the others, being rejected and being humiliated), cognition and non-functional believes (perfectionism, competitiveness, needlessness to others, catastrophic and dependent self-respect), life skills (problem solving, anger control and stress management) and psychological education (disease symptoms, disease causes and following up the disease treatment). These organizer concepts are originally the main factors of an effective therapy.
Conclusion: In order to have an effective therapy for a bipolar person, a multi-dimensional approach should be taken and the interventions should be done in multiple aspects. Such a therapy needs the active participation of both the therapist and the patient. We recommend further longitudinal, qualitative and experimental studies..
Kiumars Morovat, Fariborz Dortaj, Aboutaleb Seadatee Shamir, Khadijeh Abolma’ali Alhosseini,
Volume 21, Issue 115 (10-2022)
Abstract
Background: Economic intelligence, is an attitude about the ability to learn and use money that is essential to survival and success in 21st-century life. Economic intelligence leads to increased problem-solving and critique, adaptability, information analysis and entrepreneurship, while a vacuum lead to financial problems and economic pressures, confusion, frustration and depression, and socio-economic problems. Although the phenomenological discovery and understanding and the lived experience of experts lead to the identification of potential factors, but there is a research gap in the field of application of this method in the target society.
Aims: The present study was conducted with the aim of the living experience of experts in economic intelligence in the form of a phenomenological study. The study population of the present study included all professors of industrial psychology, financial management, economics and educational psychology and psychometrics in free and public universities with more than 5 years of teaching experience as well as some of the top entrepreneurs. 17 people (10 professors and 7 top entrepreneurs) were selected based on the principle of saturation and using purposive sampling method (theoretical sampling) and according to the inclusion criteria And Colouzi method was used to analyze the interview data.
Methods: The method of the present study is descriptive phenomenological in terms of the basic purpose and the nature of the qualitative data. The study population of the present study included all professors of industrial psychology, financial management, economics and educational psychology and psychometrics in free and public universities with more than 5 years of teaching experience as well as some of the top entrepreneurs. 17 people (10 professors and 7 top entrepreneurs) were selected based on the principle of saturation and using purposive sampling method (theoretical sampling) and according to the inclusion criteria. The participants were interviewed through a semi-structured interview. In order to analyze the interview data, thematic analysis method was used.
Results: After thematic extraction and classification, the findings included 5 main themes (entrepreneurial spirit, positive attitude, appropriate financial behavior, empiricism, role modeling) and 21 sub-themes. The relationship between these main and secondary topics is given in the main article.
Conclusion: Based on the research results, it can be said that items such as self-confidence, knowledge acquisition, positive thinking, entrepreneurial thinking, punctuality, prudent investment, creativity, time management, strategic planning, gaining experience and paying attention to opportunities for progress and interaction with entrepreneurs are components. These are important aspects of economic intelligence, and people's awareness of these components can contribute to their economic success and progress.
Shokouh Eftari, Sedigheh Ahmadi, Azizoollah Tajikesmaeili,
Volume 21, Issue 117 (12-2022)
Abstract
Background: Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder in a child that persists throughout life. The main clinical symptom is attention deficit and hyperactivity. These children are weaker than their peers in social skills and show more behavioral and social problems. Research shows that cultural differences are essential in diagnosing and treating the disorder in the early years. To moderate the effects of the disorder, it is necessary to use effective interventions in family, school, and society. In the study community, There is a research gap in the lived experience of parents with children with ADHD disorder.
Aims: This amied to understand the problems of Iranian parents in the development of children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder through their lived experience.
Methods: A qualitative approach and phenomenological method were used in this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted by phone and in-person With 12 parents of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder selected by purposive and available sampling, The data were analyzed with the seven-step method of Colaizzi.
Results: Data analysis led to the extraction of 4 main themes and 19 subthemes. The main themes are Parents' challenges, parents' strategies for the problem, behaviors aggravating symptoms of the disorder, and the effects of ADHD on parents.
Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, which are in line with the social, cultural, and lived experiences of parents of children with ADHD disorder, it seems that part of the parents' problems in the core family is not accepting the influence of the disorder on the child's behavior. In this case, the child's undesirable behavior by the parent is perceived as intentional behavior that leads to negative effects on the parent-child relationship. At the social level, due to the lack of awareness of the behavioral differences of the child with the disorder, parents are blamed for their parenting method and the child receives the wrong label. Parents typically cope with this social issue by concealing the disorder from the child and others and limiting family social relations, Which led to the loss of the companionship of the child and the support of society.
Ensieh Mohammadyari, Ali Rezaei Sharif, Ahmadreza Kiani, Esmaeil Sadri Demirchi,
Volume 21, Issue 119 (10-2022)
Abstract
Background: Research has shown that many adverse reactions and problems in couples are caused by dysfunctional communication beliefs. However, despite the importance of this concept in identifying the components of dysfunctional communication beliefs of couples, there is a research gap in the study population.
Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the dysfunctional communication beliefs of women with conflicting couples.
Methods: The present study was conducted by qualitative method and descriptive phenomenology. The study population consisted of all women with marital conflict in Tehran who had been referred to counseling centers in1400 for their conflict problem, and Sampling was performed by purposive sampling method. Nineteen people were selected and studied through semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was performed using the Colaizzi seven-step method.
Results: In this study, 4 main themes, and 11 sub-themes. The first main theme is the interpersonal relationship of the couple (emotional relationship, destructive behavior, irrational expectations, differences of opinion and taste, sex and financial issues, and personality factors), and the second main theme is the relationship with the main family (spouse family, behavioral patterns of spouse and family), The third theme was gender issues (dual views on gender maps, gender labels, and gender stereotypes) and the last major theme was legal issues.
Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, in the fields of interpersonal relationships of couples, relationships with the main family, gender issues, and legal issues, ineffective communication assistants for women were identified.
Fahimeh Khajehaminian, Kianoush Zahrakar, Alireza Kiamanesh, Farshad Mohsenzade,
Volume 22, Issue 121 (3-2023)
Abstract
Background: Social, economic and cultural changes, increasingly have made new alternatives available to couples. Voluntary childlessness is an emerging and growing alternative lifestyle in Iran and little is known about this phenomenon.
Aims: In this study, we explored the lived experiences of voluntary childless Iranian couples using a qualitative method and phenomenological approach
Methods: Participants were selected in a purposeful sampling method. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and data saturation was achieved after interviews with 17 individuals (seven couples and three women). An interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) method of Smith et al. (2009) was used for data analysis.
Results: The analysis of the interviews led to the emergence of seven superordinate themes; personal inadequacy, social, economic, political, and cultural deficiency, Inadequate and unsafe world, challenge with the classical family norms and values, social pressures and coping strategies.
Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that voluntary childlessness is a contemporary family form that has a different way of meaning and valuing than the classical family. This recognition creates a basis for mental health and family professionals to provide better services.
Samira Chenari, Shahram Vahedi, Mansour Bayrami, Ali Gharadaghi,
Volume 22, Issue 123 (5-2023)
Abstract
Background: Inspecting the first-year students' mental health reveals that most of them cannot adapt emotionally, and they experience mental health problems comprising irrational beliefs, emotional, motivational, communication, and social issues and learning, along with a significant failure in academic performance. Nonetheless, none of the interventions has been based on the lived experience of the students who have the most problems adapting to the university.
Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of the educational program based on the comprehensive model of the lived experience of adjustment (CMLEA) on the academic, psychological and social well-being of maladjusted first-year students.
Methods: The present research was conducted with a quasi-experimental design of pre-test, post-test, and follow-up with a control group. The sample consisted of 40 freshmen who scored lower than the average in the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (Baker & Siryk, 1986). The convenience sampling method was used to select the students. Then they were assigned to two experimental and control groups. In the present research, academic well-being (Tuominen-Soini et al., 2012), social well-being (Keyes, 1998), and psychological well-being (Ryff, 1989) scales were used. After the pre-test, the experimental group received 18 one-hour sessions of university adaptation training. After two months, a follow-up study was done. The data were analyzed using mixed analysis of variance method.
Results: The results revealed that the intervention program significantly impacted students' academic, psychological and social well-being (P<0.01) so that the scores of the well-being components significantly increased in the post-test stage and remained stable in the follow-up stage.
Conclusion: Results from the intervention indicated that the educational program based on the CMLEA with amending students' problems in adapting to the university leads to an increase in their well-being components in the first year.
Mehrnoosh Esmaili, Seyed Esmaeil Hashemi, Mahnaz Mehrabizadeh Honarmand, Najme Hamid, Mana Ahmadian,
Volume 22, Issue 132 (12-2023)
Abstract
Background: Migraine headache is a debilitating disease that has many complications and limitations for sufferers. Since this disease is considered one of the psychosomatic disorders, therefore, how the disease is experienced and perceived can affect the course of the disease.
Aims: The present study was conducted to explore the lived emotional experiences of patients with migraine disorder.
Methods: The approach of this research was qualitative and its phenomenological method was of a descriptive type, for this purpose, 20 people were selected from among the patients who were referred to the medical and psychiatric clinics of Isfahan city in 1400 after meeting the conditions of entering the research. and were subjected to in-depth interviews. The interviews continued until the saturation of information was recorded using a voice recorder and finally analyzed through the multi-phased procedure of Giorgi (2003).
Results: The findings of the research indicate the achievement of 3 general themes (10 sub-themes) including; I don't know what I am facing and what to do with it. (Awareness, validation, and experience of emotions), What is going on inside me? (self-destructive, worrying, anticipatory, and restorative) and what guides the path of my being. (Cognitive, emotional, and physiological guides).
Conclusion: The research findings showed that people suffering from migraine headaches have problems in experiencing and processing their emotions and they suffer from worry and self-blame, which directs their behavior towards their illness, so it is possible to focus on the obstacles to their emotional experience. The behavioral cycle them changed their attribution to their illness and in this way reduced the recurrence of their headaches.
Seyedeh Maryam Fatemi, Mohammad Masoud Dayariyan, Seyed Asmaeil Mosavi,
Volume 23, Issue 144 (12-2024)
Abstract
Background: All marriages may experience boredom or continue married life with poor quality; which is definitely associated with ideas about separation, it is important to attention to the destructive effects of this phenomenon and treat it in time.
Aims: The purpose of this research was to determine, through the examination of couples' personal experiences, the effect of an educational program on mitigating marital tedium among those who are disillusioned with married life.
Methods: The study used a quasi-experimental design, using a post-test, pre-test, and 6-month follow-up methodology. The research included 30 couples diagnosed with marital burnout in 2022. The participants were recruited by purposive selection, and then randomly divided into an experimental and a control group, each consisting of 15 people. The participants completed the Pines (2002) 20-item marital discomfort questionnaire, which served as the tool for measuring the variables. Then, the participants of experimental group in ten 90-min sessions of group training of training package, which was conducted using predictive indicators of marital burnout, based on the lived experiences of distressed couples, using the phenomenology by the author. The analysis of mixed covariance using SPSS version 23 software was used to analyze the data.
Results: Based on the value of F= 58.48, which was significant at the P< 0.01 level, the results indicated that 68% of the changes in the variance of marital happiness were affected by an intervention.
Conclusion: Considering the effectiveness of the educational package, this package can be used in psychological centers to educate couples and improve their interactions to reduce marital dissatisfaction.
Parastoo Sheikh Esmali, Hamzeh Ahmadian, Maryam Akbari,
Volume 24, Issue 148 (6-2025)
Abstract
Background: Adolescence is one of the most sensitive periods of human development. Mistreated adolescents are deprived of psychological and emotional support from their parents. Lack of emotional regulation and inability to empathize is one of the most important psychological problems and challenges faced by mistreated adolescents. So far, no research has investigated the effectiveness of a treatment program based on lived experience in parent-child relationships on the level of empathy and emotional regulation of mistreated adolescent girls.
Aims: The present study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of the training program based on lived experience in parent-child relationships on empathy and emotional regulation of mistreated adolescent girls.
Methods: The present research method was a semi-experimental pre-test-post-test type with a control group. The statistical population of the research included all mistreated adolescent girls in the girls' support centers affiliated with the welfare department of Sanandaj City between March 2023 and January 2024. The statistical sample of the research included 30 mistreated adolescent girls who were selected by purposive sampling and randomly assigned to two experimental (15 people) and control (15 people) groups. The data collection tools in this research included the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (Gross & John, 2003) and the Empathy Questionnaire (Davis, 1983). The educational program based on the lived experience of parent-child relationships was also held in the form of 8 sessions of 60 minutes and one session per week for the experimental group. Also, to analyze the data in this research, analysis of covariance test and SPSS version 23 software were used.
Results: The results of this research showed that the training program based on lived experience in the experimental group had a significant effect on the total score of empathy and its components (Empathic concern, Perspectiv-taking, and Personal Distress) compared to the control group (P< 0.05). Also, this training program was effective on the cognitive reappraisal strategy (P< 0.05), but the effectiveness of this training package on the emotional suppression strategy was not confirmed (P< 0.05).
Conclusion: According to the findings, it is suggested that care centers for mistreated adolescents use an educational program based on the lived experience of mistreated adolescent girls in parent-child relationships to improve empathy and emotional regulation in these adolescents.
Fahimeh Sadeghi, Siamak Samani, Sajad Amini Manesh, Mohammad Mozafari,
Volume 24, Issue 151 (9-2025)
Abstract
Background: Studying the lived experience of patients with cerebral palsy regarding the treatment process holds significant importance in enhancing their recovery and quality of life. Such studies, by presenting the real perspectives and experiences of patients, can assist physicians and healthcare professionals in examining and applying the best treatment methods tailored to the actual needs and experiences of patients.
Aims: The aim of this study was to explore the lived experience of individuals with cerebral palsy and healthcare professionals in the city of Parand regarding the treatment process.
Methods: The present study employed a descriptive phenomenological approach. The research population included all patients with cerebral palsy in Parand city, from which 15 participants were selected using purposive sampling. Data collection was conducted through semi-structured in-depth interviews, and the data were analyzed using the Colaizzi method.
Results: The analysis of the interview data led to the identification of three main themes, including anxieties and concerns, expectations and hope for treatment, and 11 subthemes such as increased severity of disability, treatment costs and lack of supplementary insurance, spousal abandonment due to increased disability severity, lack of specialists, confidence in definitive treatment, making treatment services free, indifference toward treatment due to aging, absence of definitive treatment, disappointment due to frequent visits without definitive results, inability of specialists to diagnose and treat promptly, faith in miracles, and advancements in science.
Conclusion: These findings can help physicians and healthcare professionals propose more appropriate solutions for the treatment and better management of patients with cerebral palsy.
Seyedeh Maryam Fatemi, Mohhamad Masoud Dayarian, Seyed Esmail Mosavi,
Volume 24, Issue 152 (10-2025)
Abstract
Background: Marital heartbreak occurs due to a set of unrealistic expectations and irrational thoughts and ups and downs in life, which gradually destroys the love between couples, and sometimes completely, and provides the basis for divorce.
Aims: The purpose of this research was to compile and validate a preventive package for couples' marital heartbreak based on the lived experiences of couples who are heartbroken from married life.
Methods: The current research was based on qualitative approach and descriptive phenomenological method. The participants of this research included couples who were unhappy with their married life and referred to Behsa Family Counseling Center located in Isfahan city in 2024, who were selected by purposeful sampling method and according to the entry criteria. People's lived experiences were investigated with in-depth and semi-structured interview tools, and the data reached saturation with 23 interviews. Qualitative data analysis was done by MAXQDA2020.1 software. In order to validate the package, the group of experts, including specialists, was used.
Results: The results showed that a total of 1114 basic themes, 23 sub-themes and 7 main themes including: emotional and affective factors, cognitive factors, psychological factors, behavioral factors, systemic factors, sexual relations, economic factors were identified as predictors of marital dissatisfaction. The content validity index (CVR= 0.92) and the content validity index (CVI= 0.96) were calculated, which were found to have sufficient validity and reliability according to experts.
Conclusion: According to the values obtained from the indicators, the educational package of marital dissatisfaction has been validated, therefore this educational package can be used in family counseling and couple therapy centers to prevent marital dissatisfaction of couples and also reduce marital dissatisfaction of couples who are dissatisfied with married life.
Doctoral Student Zahra Mostadam, Dr Ali Rezaeisharif, Dr Ahmadreza Kiani, Dr Esmaeel Sadri Damirchi,
Volume 24, Issue 154 (12-2025)
Abstract
Background: Adolescents often imitate self-harming behaviors and participate in publishing the results of self-harm on social networks. Therefore, self-harming and suicidal behaviors are one of the main global public health concerns. However, an appropriate framework for identifying factors affecting self-harming behaviors in cyberspace was not found.
Aims: Therefore, the present study was conducted to fill the existing literature gap to develop a model of factors affecting self-harming behaviors in cyberspace with a phenomenological approach based on the lived experience of female high school students.
Methods: The research approach was qualitative and based on lived experience and was descriptive phenomenological. The statistical population of the present study consisted of all female high school students in Tehran in the academic year 2023-2024. Using purposive sampling, 15 people participated in semi-structured interviews in the study, and data and information were analyzed using thematic analysis according to Brown and Clark (2006).
Results: The results of the study generally showed that, in the opinion of high school girls, the factors affecting self-harming behaviors in cyberspace are individual or psychological factors with organizing categories of "thoughts and feelings, emotions, behavior" and social factors with organizing themes of "peer factors, family factors, virtual friends, relationships with others, virtual media, school environment, and economic issues."
Conclusion: The use of cyberspace and self-harming behaviors in cyberspace emphasizes the importance of digital literacy programs that equip adolescents with the skills to operate safely in the online world. |
Banafsheh Bojnordi, Vajiheh Torkamani, Naemeh Kialashaki, Koros Karimpasandi,
Volume 24, Issue 154 (12-2025)
Abstract
Background and Objective: The lived experiences of individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) resulting from the Sacred Defense period are valuable resources for deeply understanding the psychological and social impacts of war. Methodology: within a descriptive-analytical framework, aiming to deeply understand the lived experiences of individuals with PTSD from the Sacred Defense period. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews using purposive criterion-based sampling. Inclusion criteria included having relevant experiences from the Sacred Defense period, an official PTSD diagnosis related to that time, and the willingness and ability to narrate their life experiences. The sampling process continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using Gérard Genette’s narratology framework. The analysis focused on the components of focalization, voice, and narrative time, with the aim of understanding how traumatic experiences were represented and meaning was constructed within the narrative structure. In addition to interviews, library research and document analysis were utilized to develop the theoretical foundations and interpret the data.Findings: The findings from the analysis of narratives obtained through in-depth interviews with individuals with PTSD, using Genette’s framework, revealed meaningful structural patterns in three domains: voice, time, and focalization. In all narratives, the homodiegetic narrator and intradiegetic level were dominant, emphasizing the authenticity of personal experience.Conclusion: The results suggest that Genette’s theory provides an effective framework for structural analysis of traumatic narratives. The use of narrative elements, particularly focalization and the management of time, in the lived experiences of individuals with PTSD demonstrates their efforts to comprehend, articulate, and assign meaning to the profound experiences of war and its aftermath. The structure of these narratives not only conveys experiential content and personal perspectives but also contributes to a deeper understanding of psychological mechanisms for coping with trauma and the role of narrative in the healing process.
Leila Mokhtari, Dr Ahmad Borjali, Dr Faramarz Sohrabi, Dr Abolghasem Isamorad, Dr Noorali Farrokhi,
Volume 25, Issue 157 (3-2026)
Abstract
Background: Adolescence is one of the most vulnerable stages of development, and the level of hope is one of the protective and helpful factors during this period; the level of hope in adolescents, especially girls, is low, and since indigenous factors are involved, research is needed to improve it.
Aims: The aim of the present study was to develop and validate a hope education package based on the lived experiences of hopeful adolescent girls aged 15–18 years in Tehran.
Methods: This study employed an exploratory mixed-methods (qualitative-quantitative). In the first (qualitative) phase, the study population comprised all female students aged 15 to 18 attending secondary schools in District 13 of Tehran during the 2023-2024 academic year. Through purposive sampling and the use of Snyder’s Hope Scale, thirteen students with high levels of hope were selected. Data were collected via in-depth semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. In the second (quantitative) phase, to develop and finalize the intervention package, the Delphi method and purposive theoretical sampling were used among 10 experts in psychology, counseling, and education in Tehran. The content and face validity of the intervention package were assessed using the Content Validity Index (CVI) and Content Validity Ratio (CVR). The collected interviews were subjected to to extract codes related to the concept of hope.
Results:The results from the interviews with adolescent girls identified seven main themes : Values and Goals, Underlying Hopeful Thinking , Underlying Hopeful Behaviors, importance of effort , The Role of Spirituality, acceptance, and Examining the Dimensions of Problems and coping with them, all of which play a role in adolescent hope.
Marziyeh Sadat Rouholamini, Abdolrahim Kasaei Esfahani, Sedighe Ahmadi,
Volume 25, Issue 162 (8-2026)
Abstract
This study aims to explore and deeply understand the lived experiences of women who have voluntarily chosen childlessness, using a phenomenological approach (Colaizzi method). In the present research, voluntary childlessness is defined as a conscious choice based on personal autonomy, a re-evaluation of traditional values, and the influence of cultural and social interactions. The primary data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of women who had made this choice. Data analysis was conducted using NVivo software, through initial coding, extraction of major themes, and categorization into key issues such as social pressures and identity challenges. The findings reveal that voluntary childlessness is not merely the result of individual evaluations and profound personal experiences in the face of external pressures, but also serves as a means for redefining women's individual and social identities. The results may provide a basis for developing supportive policies and counseling interventions to reduce the negative effects of stigma and social pressure. By presenting a comprehensive conceptual model, this research offers practical strategies to improve individual and family counseling processes in support of women's life choices.
