Journal of Qualitative Research in Health Sciences
Volume:4 Issue: 3, 2015

The imposed war was a war of self sacrifice and martyrdom. Holy defense and the imposed 8-year war were the proofs of Iranians resistance and patience which were recorded in the history. The aim was to study the nurse's experiences about self sacrifice and martyrdom during imposed war on Iran from 1980-1988. Historical research and oral history were the methods used which were conducted through active interviews. Twenty five nurses were interviewed about their experiences about sacrifice and martyrdom at war. Descriptive themes of experience of nurses include "paramedics role in the war", "accepting responsibility in treatment units with sacrifice", "accompanying with the rest of the medical team in vital activities"," injury and death of nurses during activities", "different working conditions of nurses in the care of victims of chemical injuries and dedication in caring for them", and "creative activities to help the victims in battle field are describing the experiences of nurses involved with sacrifice and martyrdom. The results showed how the war may be the manifestation of the effects of certain conditions of self-sacrifice and martyrdom to the nurses and enhance learning and cause acquiring new experience. Thus, while learning from the experience gained, nurses used the lessons of the past to build the future effectively.

Today, bullying is one of the most common problems in schools. Many quantitative researches have been conducted to understand the different aspects of this phenomenon, but very few qualitative researches have been performed in this area. Therefore, this study was undertaken to examine bullied student's experiences of victimization in order to understand the nature of victimization more deeply. This qualitative research has been based on the interpretative paradigm and conducted using the phenomenological approach. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 11 bullied students who had the inclusion criteria. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s method. The findings revealed three main themes of "reasons for victimization", "the consequences of victimization", and "ways to deal with bullying" and twelve subthemes. Investigation of experiences of bullied students revealed that victimization has various psychological, social, behavioral, and academic consequences for these students. Moreover, data analysis showed that schools and families are major factors in the incidence of bullying and can also have a major role in dealing with bullying.

Today, university professors must substitute traditional strategies of conveying information for new and creative educational strategies. This study was conducted to determine the views of nursing students on the quality of creative teaching. The present qualitative study was conducted in the School of Nursing and Midwifery of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Iran, in the year 2013. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The study participants (20 students) were selected using purposive sampling. To analyze the data, the coding method attributed to Strauss and Corbin was used. The validity of findings was ensured through member assessment, deep description, and prolonged exposure to the research environment. In the present study, three main themes in students’ views of creative teaching were achieved that included professional characteristics of the lecturer in teaching, students’ characteristics, and learning conditions. Professional development of teachers, students’ characteristics, and learning conditions are factors that determine the quality of creative teaching. Hence, improving conditions for the professional development of lecturers, and consideration of students’ characteristics and learning conditions can aid the creation of an environment for creative teaching.

With the advent of the internet, social networks also emerged. These networks have become an integral part of many student's lives and affect all aspects of their lives. The use of virtual social networks has adversely affected students’ lifestyles. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of determining the experiences of students of Islamic Azad University, Tuyserkan Branch, Iran, regarding the consequences of social networking. This qualitative study was conducted using the conventional content analysis approach. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews with 11 students of Islamic Azad University, Tuyserkan Branch. The participants were selected from among both sexes using purposive sampling method. The participants consisted of students who used social networks for more than 4 hours daily. All interviews were simultaneously recorded and transcribed. Data were analyzed using content analysis method. Data strength was confirmed by participants and researchers. Data analysis resulted in extraction of the three main themes of "change in family and social relationships", "change in physical, psychological, and academic conditions of individuals", and "replacing virtual network in life". These themes were determined by 10 subthemes in students. The subthemes consisted of being entertained by virtual networks, changes in relationships with family and friends, easy communication with others due to anonymity, unfamiliarity of close relatives with these networks, less speech communication and coming together, stress and anxiety, deterioration of academic status and inability to marry, ease of communication, and lower costs in comparison to other communications. The results of this study confirm the need for designing and providing education and interventions for guidance, correct use, and assisting students when using social networks, and appropriate replacements. Authorities can use the findings of this study in planning and appropriate interventions for this group.

Many individuals who were involved in the war experienced sacrifice and injury. Veteran's unique experiences have been examined in very few studies. The aim of this study was to understand the experiences of veterans in order to describe their experiences and provide insight into this phenomenon. This qualitative study was conducted in 2014 using a phenomenological research method. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 11 veterans in Kermanshah, Iran. Data obtained from interviews were analyzed using van Manen’s method. This phenomenon comprised 4 sub-themes of dedication and sacrifice, loss of health, motivation, and pride. Veterans adapted to the outcomes of their sacrifice through measures such as accepting their situation and gaining experience, trust in God and patience, social activities, helping and assisting others, especially veterans, making their living environement suitable, personal activities, sports and recreational activities. The results provided a deep understanding of veterans’ perceptions, weaknesses, defects, and physical and mental challenges.

Inconstancy and failure to overcoming drug abuse are among the main concerns of planners, practitioners, and families of addicted individuals. Thus, the present study was undertaken with the aim to identify supporting factors in constancy in overcoming drug abuse. This qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured individual interviews with 13 patients who had overcome addiction for over 2 years. Data obtained from the interviews were analyzed using content analysis. Content analysis of the obtained data revealed five main themes. These themes consisted of changing the friendship atmosphere (including complete separation from friends who distribute or consume drugs, finding or recovery of non-addict friends, and reducing the number of friends and more contacts with family), family support and acceptance (including parents’ support, acceptance of and belief in the decision to overcome addiction, and frequent praise and encouragement from the family), introduction to successful experiences of overcoming addiction (including television programs (movies, series, or documentaries), and meeting individuals who have overcome addiction), participation in receptive groups and environments (distance from isolation and loneliness, withdrawal from labeling situations) and association with spirituality (including remembrance of Allah, and performing religious practices). The results of this study can help social planners, families, and addiction therapists have to successfully and permanently overcome addiction.

Knowledge about sexual health is one of the basic needs of young couples. Knowledge of sexual health is effective on the individual's health and family stability. However, a comprehensive sexual health education program does not exist in the health care system. The present study aimed to explore the sexual health education needs of engaged couples. This qualitative study was conducted using conventional content analysis. Subjects were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through in-depth individual interviews and 1 focus group discussion, with 38 individuals and 9 interviews with the key informants. All interviews were recorded and transcribed. The data were analyzed using content analysis method and the MAXQDA software. Through extraction of main codes, the couples’ needs were classified in 4 main categories of bio-psychological, social-moral, religious-moral, and educational-cultural. The main categories also included several subcategories that were explained with the statements of participants. The results of this study showed that engaged couples require particular knowledge and skills in bio-psychological, social-moral, religious-moral, and educational-cultural dimensions that are ignored in the current premarital educational programs. Therefore, presentation of this study results to health authorities for the implementation of need-based educational programs can increase the effectiveness of premarital education.

Setting tariffs is one of the most important tools of policy makers of the health system in every country for implementing their authority which is effective in justice, performance, and the quality of and accountability in offering services. Moreover, it can influence access rate and use of services. Changing medical tariffs affects the income of medical and hospital service providers, and the expenditure of financiers of medical and hospital services. This study investigated the concept of real tariff from the point of view of managers of insurance organizations. This qualitative study was performed via in-depth interviews with 19 managers of health, social security, and armed forces insurance organizations who were informed of or their occupation was related to this field. Thematic analysis method was used for analyzing interviews. Managers of insurance organizations expressed the concept of real tariff in two themes of definition of real tariff, and methods, elements, and principles of determining tariffs and subthemes of determination of tariffs based on collective agreement considering interests of involved groups, based on cost of services, and based on type and sensitivity. To amend the status of setting tariffs, characteristics of real tariff should be identified based on the concept of real tariff. Interests of involved groups (insured, service provider, and insurer) should be considered in determining tariffs. Tariffs should be determined based on collective agreement, the views of representatives of involved groups, and cost of services.

Increasing divorce rates have important implications for children. The causal relationship between parental divorce and mental health of children is not simple and there are different patterns for the response of children to parental divorce. The examination of gender as a possible mediator in the adaptation of children to divorce has, in some cases, rendered contradictory results. The aim of this study was to identify the psychological reactions of boys to parental divorce in a qualitative study. The present study is qualitative in nature. The study population consisted of boys who had experienced parental divorce in Shahriar County, Iran. Subjects were selected using purposive sampling method. In-depth interviews were conducted with a total of 13 boys of 12-17 years of age from families who had experienced separation 1-5 years prior to the time of the interviews and lived with their mothers. Marshall and Rossman’s reduction and interpretation method was used for data analysis. Data reduction and interpretation method involves the sorting of data into categories and coding them. The 2 main themes of emotional reactions and behavioral reactions were achieved through data analysis. The subcategories of emotional reactions include a sense of relief, sadness, anger, and mixed reaction and the subcategories of behavioral reactions included maturity, academic performance, and behavior problems. This study showed that the processes of divorce and separation are not experienced homogeneously by all children. The effects of divorce can be positive, negative, or a mix of the two. It however seems reasonable for one to conclude that the negative impact of divorce on boys can be extensive. This illustrates children’s different perceptions of divorce and its related processes that lead to the different response patterns in boys to divorce.

Pervasive dimensions of health has led that the efforts for improving health are impossible only for one Institution. Hence it is necessary for other efficient institutions to know their role in health. Undoubtedly broadcasting is one of the important institutions for improving health. The purpose of this study is exploration and presentation the role of khorasan razavi broadcasting for improving health. Qualitative method, thematic analysis, is the main strategy of this research. For restrict domain of study, with Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique, dimensions of health have been prioritized. To use this technique data have been collected by paired comparison questionnaire with 30 health specialists in khorasan razavi. For thematic analysis, data have been collected by semi-structured interviews with 7 health specialists. Text of interviews was analysed with thematic method by qualitative analysis software, Atlas.ti. Spiritual health, mental health, and mothers & women’s health, were identified as most important dimensions of health in khorasan razavi. Qualitative analysis results show that the role of broadcasting were categorized in two main themes: "threats and opportunities of broadcasting for health" and "programming". "media literacy", "training practical skills", "training healthy lifestyle", "attending to sexual problems", "breakdown of health trainings for different ages", "attending to issues of school," "attending to specific problems of adolescents and youngs", "correcting audience approach to health", "training special problems of women", "producing problem base programs", "provide positive character for housewife mothers","motivate the audience to learn health" and "training education of children", are categories that explore the role of broadcasting in programming. Broadcasting with "educating", "informing" and "culture making" functions can have positive or negative effect on people health simultaneously. For supporting the positive role of broadcasting, it is necessary that there be consonance between various programs of broadcasting and between broadcasting programs with health policies. Also it is necessary to identifying appropriate topics for programming in different dimensions of health that to improve effectiveness of this, the different dimensions of health should be prioritized according to the regional and ecological of each region.

The demographic trend chart shows the trend of the population toward senility. Therefore, studying and understanding the issues of the elderly is a necessity. The elderly face challenges of role identity as they have been separated from their active and creditable roles. This research was conducted with the aim of understanding the life experiences of the elderly in this respect. This was a qualitative research, in which the phenomenological approach was used. The participants were selected from among the elderly in Kerman, Iran, through purposive sampling (21 participants). In-depth unstructured interviews were the main data collection method. In addition, data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s method. The main themes obtained were “the feeling of abandonment” and “the feeling of being decontrolled”. The theme of “the feeling of abandonment” consisted of five subthemes consternation, job separation, interaction separation, and economical dependability. The main theme of “the feeling of being decontrolled” consisted of two subthemes of the shattered self and the feeling of closeness of death. The subtheme of the shattered self also consisted of the two subcategories of alienation and the pain of being discredited. This present research provided a new understanding of the experiences of elderly individuals by describing the challenges of role identity. The roots of these challenges, in addition to changes in demographic structure, are in changes in the social structure of our society. Thus, the lack of scheduling and use of appropriate measures to improve this situation will be one of the most important challenges in future decades.