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Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the voices of the family members of Bipolar Disorder (BD) patients about the challenges ahead of them. Methods: In this qualitative study, 22 participants shared their experiences of sexual challenges of patients with BD through in-depth, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews. Qualitative content analysis was used for data analysis. Results: An overarching theme entitled "Unheard voices" reflected this experience. It comprised four main categories include sexual promiscuity, a change in sexual patterns, sexual support, and sexual indifference. The results revealed that the families of patients with BD have to deal with sexual promiscuity and change in sexual patterns in their family, and the family system attempts to respond to these changes by sexual support mechanisms and sexual indifference. Conclusions: Given the significant impact of healthy sexual behaviors on the quality of life of both the individual and the family, therapists and family support systems are advised to strengthen and educate families to support their patients' sexual health and needs and protect their sexual existence; they should also address the sexual challenges faced by these families as a diagnostic and therapeutic priority, and early sexual health interventions should be provided to these families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Breast cancer is a multidimensional crisis for women and their spouses that affects every aspect of their life. Coping with this disease requires investigating and resolving the challenges faced by all those affected by it. The present study was conducted to clarify these challenges on the basis of lived experiences of the spouses of women with breast cancer. Method: The present qualitative research performed an interpretive phenomenological analysis in Iran. Purposive sampling was employed to select twenty spouses of women with breast cancer. The data collected through unstructured face-to-face interviews were analyzed using van Manen's method. To ensure the rigor of the study, Lincoln and Guba's criteria were evaluated in the qualitative process. Results: Lived experiences of the spouses of the women with breast cancer in coping with challenges included the four themes of emotional confusion, shouldering the burden of care, psychophysical suffering caused by the disease and life without cohesion. Conclusion: Spouses of the women with breast cancer in the Iranian community faced several challenges and issues. The socioeconomic support provided by supporting organizations and medical personnel appear to help moderate these challenges and improve coping in this group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Mothers of children with thalassemia usually experience many sufferings and challenges in caring of their children. The present study aimed to explore the experiences of mothers caring for their children with thalassemia. METHODS: In this qualitative study, 14 mothers caring for their children with thalassemia in Hamedan and Babol Cities, Iran were selected using purposeful sampling, from December 2019 to August 2020. Data were collected through semi-structured face-to-face interviews. Graneheim and Lundman's approach of conventional content analysis was used for data analysis. RESULTS: After data analyzing, four themes, including physical distress, psychological suffering, hellish life, and self-negligence, as well as nine categories, including the mother's physical problems, physical weakness, confusion, painful emotions, restless life, involvement in a painful caring process, turmoil in the family, neglect of one's health, and disregard for the occurrence of psychosomatic illnesses, were extracted. CONCLUSION: Our findings provide a broad range of contextspecific challenges that mothers of thalassemic child faced during caring of their children that can affect different aspects of their life and health. Thus, mothers of children with thalassemia need various types of support such as social, emotional, and informational support during caring process of their children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Introduction: Emergency medical services (EMS) providers are at continuous exposure to occupational stressors which negatively affect their health and professional practice. This study explored perceived occupational stressors among EMS providers.Methods: This qualitative study was conducted from December 2019 to April 2020 using conventional content analysis. Sixteen EMS providers were purposively selected from EMS stations in Hamadan, Iran. Semi-structured interviews (with length of 45-60 min) were held for data collection. Data were analyzed through Graneheim and Lundman's conventional content analysis approach.Findings: Data analysis resulted in the development of two themes, namely critical conditions of EMS provision, and personal and professional conflicts. The six categories of these two themes were complexity of patients' clinical conditions, interruption of EMS provision, health hazards, interpersonal problems, interprofessional interactions, and legal conflicts.Conclusion: Besides the stress associated with emergency patient care, EMS providers face many different occupational stressors. EMS managers can use the findings of the present study to develop strategies for reducing occupational stress among EMS providers and thereby, improve their health and care quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common mental illness characterized by obsessions and/or compulsions. OCD is a chronic and debilitating mental illness that has a negative effect on the lives of those affected by this disorder. A person who has been diagnosed with OCD suffers from persistent obsessions and/or compulsions that interfere with all aspects of life such as their personal relationships, jobs, and everyday lives. It affects each person differently, with one of the most common issues being difficulty in maintaining relationships. This study used a qualitative method via semi-structured interviews followed by thematic analysis. Patients' experiences in encountering problems caused by OCD were then identified, such as turbulent interpersonal relationships with relatives and difficulty communicating. The study used purposive sampling and had a sample of twenty-four patients with OCD. The patients were recruited from the Farshchian Hospital's psychiatry department in Hamadan, Iran from May to October 2017. The sampling was continued until the authors reached data saturation in which no new information was obtainable from the patients. The analysis identified four major themes: (1) communication problems in family relationships; (2) dysfunctional spousal relationships; (3) relationship problems with friends and community; and (4) communication problems within their work environment. The participants viewed OCD as a disorder that unfavourably affected their family and personal relationships, education, and occupations. When patients experience negative responses from family and friends in their attempts to communicate, their health is threatened. The patients become at risk for failure in therapeutic treatment, with the possibility of increased severity or recurrence of OCD symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most important duties of the members of the treatment team is to pay attention to the mental, psychological, and social aspects of burn patients. One of the concerns of these patients during their stay in the hospital is the fear of rejection. The objective of this research is to examine the concept of 'fear of rejection' among patients hospitalized with burn injuries. This study was conducted between January 2023 and March 2024 in Hamadan, Iran, employing a qualitative content-analysis approach. The study enrolled sixteen patients, and data were collected through deep and semi-structured interviews. The data were then analyzed using the conventional content-analysis approach developed by Graneheim and Lundman. A group of 16 patients, comprising an equal number of men and women, were interviewed for this study. Based on the data obtained from these interviews, negative brainstorming, frustration, fear of permanent physical disabilities, occupational and financial challenges were identified as categories; visualization of a foggy future and inability in performance of roles emerged as the two themes. Based on the results of this study, it can be said that the fear of social rejection, characterized by an inability to perform roles and the visualization of a foggy future, significantly affects the psychological and physical health of burn patients, potentially delaying their recovery. Assisting these patients in reaching their fullest potential to contribute to society post-discharge, and fostering optimism for a promising future, constitute a paramount aspect of daily care and ongoing support. • Fear of rejection is a major problem for burn patients. • Changes in appearance and disfigurement cause fear of rejection by family and society. • This study examines the concept of fear of rejection in burn patients through qualitative content analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]