Journal of Qualitative Research in Health Sciences
Volume:7 Issue: 3, 2018

Sexual education is a training that begins in the early days of life, and its objective is moderate and appropriate development in sexual instinct. The aim of this study was to explore how parents provide sex education for their children, and identify challenges influence the sex education. In this qualitative study, content analysis was used for data analysis. The data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with 25 parents (father, mother or both) in Rafsanjan City, Iran. 3 main themes of “methods of sex education”, “parents' challenges in sexual education”, and “limiting challenges and factors which enhance sexual education” were achieved through data analysis. Mothers tended to be the main educators, although a few fathers shared the role. Uncertainties were experienced, especially about giving sons sex education. Participants welcomed access to sources of information and educational programs. Parents were found the main educators in this field, but experienced uncertainty and embarrassment about aspects of their role. Educational programs for parents by experts in this field can enhance their skills and confidence.

Sexual intercourse is an important human behavior which can be influenced by factors such as hormonal, physical, and psychological changes during pregnancy. Identifying such factors by spouses can help them to improve the quality of their relationship during pregnancy. This qualitative study aimed to identify the experience of pregnant women about sexual relation during pregnancy. This qualitative study was done using phenomenological approach. The participants were 13 pregnant women selected via purposeful sampling, and the data were collected using a semi-structured interview, and analyzed using Colaizzi method. The findings were categorized in 108 early codes, eight subthemes and four main themes of “personal problems”, “problems related to relationship with the spouse”, “problems related to misconceptions about fetus”, and “problems related to relationship with their families”. The findings showed that personal and interpersonal factors can trigger sexual problems during pregnancy. Given that satisfying spouses in every stage of life is given health priority, and given the importance of women’s emotional needs during pregnancy which can be met through this relationships, awareness about changes during pregnancy can improve couples' satisfaction. Such awareness given by experts through training about features and changes during pregnancy. Moreover, problems in sexual relationships in marital life can suggest other problems rooted elsewhere. Therefore, in addition to appropriate training, some couples need to attend counseling sessions.

The dramatic increase in prevalence of cell phone use, especially among adolescents and young people, is a growing concern among many experts about the harmful effects of cell phones. The present study aimed to explore the consequences and challenges of the application of this technology from the perspective of university students. In this qualitative study, participants were 32 students of nursing, midwifery, and paramedicine in East Guilan, Iran, who were selected purposefully and with maximum variation. Data were collected using 11 semi-structured interviews and 3 focus group discussions. All interviews were continued till data saturation was occurred. Data analysis was done using conventional content analysis approach. Three themes and 11 subthemes were extracted from the qualitative analysis. The themes were as “physical-psychological stresses” with 4 subthemes of physical problems, disturbed comfort, information security concerns, and progressive dependence, “decreased performance” with 3 subthemes of decline in academic performance, depleted energy, and wasting time, and “drowning in the virtual world” with 4 subthemes of away from the real world, unhealthy relationship, blind imitation, and luxury-oriented, and lying. “In the virtual turbulence” was designated as the main theme. Based on the students' experiences, appropriate cultural planning is necessary with approaches such as mass media education, early childhood education, and education before entering the technologies with the aim of properly usage of these technologies.

Community development and its day-to-day expansion, make the need to specialists of mental health realm, especially counselors, more necessary. The current study aimed to qualitatively investigate counselors’ perception about the components of their skill competencies. In this present qualitative research, phenomenological approach was used. Among the counselor of Sepah Shamim Counseling Centers in Iran, counseling in 2016, 20 counselor were chosen to participate in the study using purposeful sampling method, and then interviewed. All the interviews were tape-recorded, then transcribed line by line, and finally analyzed through interpretive analysis method of Diekelmann et al. 20 semi-structured interviews were conducted. Analyzed data from interviews led to the identification of 842 primary code, 40 subthemes and 6 main themes (communication, interpersonal, technical, diagnostic, developmental, and therapy skills). The result of this study can help counselors to develop their training programs, assess their level of competence and self-efficiency, and evaluate their level of competence in recruitment centers.

Some citizens are deprived from shelter, which is one of the basic needs of human. In this study, some barriers for the homeless in the use of municipal homeless shelters in Tehran City, Iran, were studied and then on the basis of them, the guidelines and recommendations were presented. This study was undertaken using qualitative content analysis methodology. According to the purposive sampling and theoretical saturation criterion, 20 homeless people who were reluctant to use the shelters, and 10 employees working in the shelters and municipal emergency social services were participated in this study. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Through data analysis, 2 main themes were extracted, “escape framework and maintaining a distinct identity” (being free outside of the shelters, shelter use as an indication of weakness and antithetical to the conventions of the street life,…), and “dysfunctional shelter” (the unfavorable conditions in shelters, dissatisfaction of employees working in the shelters and lack of trust on them,...). The results showed that the homeless people in Tehran require planning and providing services and facilities based on the actual conditions, so that they can return to the social cycle; and only building a temporary shelter for them to stay at night, cannot be useful for these people.

One of the main challenges regarding the patients with cancer, is to inform them about their disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate outlooks and experiences of medical and dental staff experts in Kerman, Iran, regarding the method of informing the diagnosis of head and neck (HN) cancer to patients and their relatives. In this qualitative study, the data were obtained through deep interviews, and focus group discussions. The target groups were faculty members of the departments of oral medicine, oral and maxillo-facial surgery, and oncology, nurses of the departments of oral diseases and oncology, and postgraduate students of the department of oral medicine in Kerman university of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran (25 individuals). Aim-based sampling was carried out and continued till the saturation of data. The data were analyzed using content analysis method. Two major classifications were derived. “Truth-telling improving factors” of them, “giving the patients an opportunity for decision making for treatment plan” was the most important factor; and “truth-telling avoiding factors” of them, "close relatives insist to avoid telling the truth to the patients” was the most important factor. In spite of the fact that most of the interviewees believed in telling the truth to the patients, practitioners should consider several factors such as patient's family preference, as well as patients’ anxiety and physical and psychological conditions. It would be reasonable if health care workers train to deal with the patients having cancer.

Integration, is the combination of curriculum content areas, which is separate in traditional curriculum of educational system. This study aimed to investigate the viewpoints of faculty members of school of medicine about the horizontal integration of basic medical sciences. This was a qualitative content analysis study. The study population consisted of faculty members of Khorramabad School of Medicine, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, and research environment was the school of medicine. Depth interviews with 7 faculty members, who played role in the application of horizontal integration of basic medical sciences, were done. At the end, interview transcripts were analyzed using Graneheim and Lundman content analysis method. Among the advantages of this plan was that a number of faculties preferred to teach based on integration method. Problems related to integration consisted of four categories, “problems related to the courses”, “professors’ problems”, “problems related to rules and regulations of the plan”, and “problems related to the courses”. According to our findings, it seems the program can be useful in medical education, but first, it should be revised, and related problems should be solved.

In recent years, due to rising of divorce statistics in the country, paying attention to causes of this phenomenon is considered. This qualitative study aimed to assess the context and consequences of divorce in Rasht City, Iran. This was a qualitative study with phenomenological approach. 25 men and women, who experienced divorce, were selected using purposive sampling method, and were studied via in-depth and exploratory interviews. Then, the data were collected, registered, encoded, and classified into themes and subthemes categories. By analyzing the participants' experiences, 516 primary codes, 6 main themes, and 21 subthemes were extracted. The findings in the context of divorce were classified in 9 subthemes, and 3 main themes of large, interactive, and small contexts. The consequences of divorce consisted of 12 subthemes, and 3 main themes of economic, social-cultural, and individual outcomes. Participants experiences indicate that divorce is multidimensional and interactive, with changing affecting factors, and structural relationship between its context and consequences. So, for any prevention program, counseling, or intervention, these structural relationships, affecting factors, and multidimensional nature should be considered.

Health literacy includes a set of skills in reading, listening, comprehension, analysis, and decision-making in health-related issue. This does not mean the person's ability to read and write during school days. The purpose of this study was to explain the views of health staff on health literacy and educational-communicative factors affecting it in health centers in Mashhad City, Iran. In this qualitative study, 12 health workers in health centers affiliated to Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran, participated in four focused group discussions. Collected data were recorded and analyzed using contractual content analysis in continuous comparison. Participant’s perspective revealed "quality of health order transferring", "quality of communication", and "quantity of educational orders transferring" as three main educational-communicative factors affecting health literacy of patients with chronic diseases. Understanding existing facts with the evolutionary approach is necessary in developing curriculums for changing behavior. Hence, health literacy, as an effective strategy for self-care in patients with chronic diseases, requires improved modulators such as education and communication skills.

Near-death experience (NDE) is a phenomenon with paranormal elements which follows pervasive and deep personal and social changes for patients. The familiarity of medical staff with the components of this phenomenon, and their appropriate response to patients’ experiences could facilitate understanding and integration process of NDEs for patients. Due to the impact of medical staff reaction to patients’ experiences, and the lack of research on NDEs which described the elements, this study aimed to explain the elements of Iranian patients’ NDEs.

This qualitative study was performed using a descriptive phenomenological approach. The subjects of the study consisted of 10 people with NDE. They were selected through purposive sampling method. Data were collected via individual tape-recorded interviews, and simultaneously analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven-step analysis method.

Through data analysis, 113 codes were extracted which were classified under 11 semantic codes. Then, the 4 main themes of cognitive, spiritual, emotional, and paranormal were extracted from the experiences of the participants.

The findings suggest that some patients, during cardiac arrest and resuscitation operation, have experiences which usually follow inappropriate reactions of medical staff. So, accurate knowledge about the NDEs, and appropriate interventions can help patients in coping with their NDEs.