Psychocultural Factors Affecting HIV/AIDS Infection among Iranian Women: A Grounded Theory

<p><strong>B</strong><strong>ac</strong><strong>kground</strong>: Previous studies have shown that adversity, sexual violence, prostitution, and addiction can increase the risk of HIV/AIDS infection. Providing an overview of the risk factors of this disease...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Mehri Amiri
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Vesnu Publications 2018-10-01
Series:International Journal of Body, Mind and Culture
Subjects:
Online Access:http://ijbmc.org/index.php/ijbmc/article/view/132
_version_ 1818311677576216576
author Mehri Amiri
author_facet Mehri Amiri
author_sort Mehri Amiri
collection DOAJ
description <p><strong>B</strong><strong>ac</strong><strong>kground</strong>: Previous studies have shown that adversity, sexual violence, prostitution, and addiction can increase the risk of HIV/AIDS infection. Providing an overview of the risk factors of this disease is significantly important in preventing its spread. It was therefore decided to focus this research on the determination of cultural and social factors that increase the risk of HIV/AIDS among women in Tehran, Iran.</p><p><strong>Methods:</strong> The present study was a qualitative research. The study group consisted of 13 women with HIV/AIDS infection who are members of the positive HIV club of the Iranian Welfare Organization, their sexual partners, and 10 experts and specialists of HIV/AIDS in Tehran. The qualitative approaches of interviewing the infected women and holding group discussion with experts and politicians were applied for data gathering. The analysis of data was carried out using grounded theory based on basic concepts, organizational concepts, comprehensive concepts, strategies, and consequences.</p><p><strong>Results</strong><strong>:</strong> As a result of data analysis, 73 basic concepts, 61 organizational concepts, and 151 comprehensive concepts (73 social and 78 cultural factors) were obtained.</p><p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> The most important factors are lack of information and sexual awareness within the mentioned group, the educational level of parents and children, unprotected sexual intercourse among polygamous partners, prostitution, homosexuality, divorce, cultural shift in women’s role in the family, discrimination, poverty, marginalization, men’s dominance in the intercourse, and unprotected sexual intercourse. Increasing women’s awareness through training in order to affect their sexual behavior is suggested as a solution in this regard. Moreover, welfare and wellbeing must be improved in the society so that low-cost health care is available and accessible to all members.</p>
first_indexed 2024-12-13T08:05:46Z
format Article
id doaj.art-85875b2abfc44d9ca81e48e161bfbe62
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2345-5802
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-13T08:05:46Z
publishDate 2018-10-01
publisher Vesnu Publications
record_format Article
series International Journal of Body, Mind and Culture
spelling doaj.art-85875b2abfc44d9ca81e48e161bfbe622022-12-21T23:54:18ZengVesnu PublicationsInternational Journal of Body, Mind and Culture2345-58022018-10-015315215910.22122/ijbmc.v5i3.132104Psychocultural Factors Affecting HIV/AIDS Infection among Iranian Women: A Grounded TheoryMehri Amiri0PhD Student, Department of Health Psychology, Iranian Welfare Organization, Tehran, Iran<p><strong>B</strong><strong>ac</strong><strong>kground</strong>: Previous studies have shown that adversity, sexual violence, prostitution, and addiction can increase the risk of HIV/AIDS infection. Providing an overview of the risk factors of this disease is significantly important in preventing its spread. It was therefore decided to focus this research on the determination of cultural and social factors that increase the risk of HIV/AIDS among women in Tehran, Iran.</p><p><strong>Methods:</strong> The present study was a qualitative research. The study group consisted of 13 women with HIV/AIDS infection who are members of the positive HIV club of the Iranian Welfare Organization, their sexual partners, and 10 experts and specialists of HIV/AIDS in Tehran. The qualitative approaches of interviewing the infected women and holding group discussion with experts and politicians were applied for data gathering. The analysis of data was carried out using grounded theory based on basic concepts, organizational concepts, comprehensive concepts, strategies, and consequences.</p><p><strong>Results</strong><strong>:</strong> As a result of data analysis, 73 basic concepts, 61 organizational concepts, and 151 comprehensive concepts (73 social and 78 cultural factors) were obtained.</p><p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> The most important factors are lack of information and sexual awareness within the mentioned group, the educational level of parents and children, unprotected sexual intercourse among polygamous partners, prostitution, homosexuality, divorce, cultural shift in women’s role in the family, discrimination, poverty, marginalization, men’s dominance in the intercourse, and unprotected sexual intercourse. Increasing women’s awareness through training in order to affect their sexual behavior is suggested as a solution in this regard. Moreover, welfare and wellbeing must be improved in the society so that low-cost health care is available and accessible to all members.</p>http://ijbmc.org/index.php/ijbmc/article/view/132Cultural factorsSocial factorsHIV/AIDSWomen
spellingShingle Mehri Amiri
Psychocultural Factors Affecting HIV/AIDS Infection among Iranian Women: A Grounded Theory
International Journal of Body, Mind and Culture
Cultural factors
Social factors
HIV/AIDS
Women
title Psychocultural Factors Affecting HIV/AIDS Infection among Iranian Women: A Grounded Theory
title_full Psychocultural Factors Affecting HIV/AIDS Infection among Iranian Women: A Grounded Theory
title_fullStr Psychocultural Factors Affecting HIV/AIDS Infection among Iranian Women: A Grounded Theory
title_full_unstemmed Psychocultural Factors Affecting HIV/AIDS Infection among Iranian Women: A Grounded Theory
title_short Psychocultural Factors Affecting HIV/AIDS Infection among Iranian Women: A Grounded Theory
title_sort psychocultural factors affecting hiv aids infection among iranian women a grounded theory
topic Cultural factors
Social factors
HIV/AIDS
Women
url http://ijbmc.org/index.php/ijbmc/article/view/132
work_keys_str_mv AT mehriamiri psychoculturalfactorsaffectinghivaidsinfectionamongiranianwomenagroundedtheory