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Given the increasing rate of divorce in Iran, together with the need to adopt preventive measures based on cultural conditions, a requirement of utmost importance is to explore the reasons that drive Iranian couples to seek a divorce. In this nationwide study, which was conducted in nine capital cities chosen from 31 provinces in Iran, a total of 3,200 men and women (1,600 couples), who had petitioned the court for a divorce, received individual expert counseling services through a reliable and valid questionnaire. Of the 17 reasons that the divorce seekers provided as explanation for their decision, three were prominent: the inability to resolve conflicts, which led to disputes, dissatisfaction with the manner by which their spouses expressed their love and emotions, and discontent regarding a spouse’s personality traits. The findings highlighted the necessity of planning for enhanced conflict resolution and communication among men and women in Iranian society.

Background Subjective accounts of divorce seeking individuals is a useful complement to sociological and psychological causes of divorce at both individual and community level. Regarding the increasing trend of divorce worldwide, the need for a questionnaire measuring subjective reasons of divorce is felt more and more. Objectives The aim of this study was to develop and validate perceived causes of a divorce questionnaire in Iranian society. Methods This was an instrument development study that carried out in 2016, based on extensive literature reviews and interviews with individuals referring to "Family Intervention Centers to Reduce Divorce" in Kerman, Fars and Alborz provinces (Iran). At first, 38 items expressing the perceived reasons for divorce were extracted; then, 29 items were used in the questionnaire according to the experts' judgment. After that, the questionnaire was given to 570 participants. The structural validity was evaluated using two methods: exploratory factor analysis via principle axis factoring, and known group comparisons by paired-samples t-test. The internal consistency of the questionnaire was also examined by calculating the Cronbach's alpha and corrected item-total correlation. SPSS version 20 was used for statistical analysis. Results The mean age (± SD) of women and men was 32.3 (±8.9) and 36.8 (±10.6), respectively. Based on an expert panel, content validity of 29 items was approved. Using principle axis factoring and varimax rotation, two components were extracted. These two factors were called "instrumental/external reasons" and "expressive and relationship-centered reasons." Factor loading of all 29 items was higher than 0.32. Cronbach's alpha of the two subscales was 0.84 and 0.85, respectively. Corrected item-scale coefficient of all items was more than 0.2. Conclusions According to the acceptable validity and reliability of the Perceived Reasons for Divorce Seeking Questionnaire, it can be used to ascertain people's reasons for divorce seeking.

Background: To identify the prevalence of behavioural (Pre-pregnancy), obstetrical and medical risks of pregnancy in Iranian women. Methods: A total of 2993 postpartum women who delivered in 23 randomly selected hospitals of six provinces were enrolled in this nationwide cross-sectional study. A structured questionnaire was completed based on interviewees’ self-reports and medical record data, consisting of socio-demographic characteristics, behavioural, obstetrical and medical risks, before and during pregnancy. Results: Less than 6.0% had no health insurance and 5.0% had no prenatal visit before labour. Unintended pregnancy was reported by 27.5% of women. Waterpipe and/or cigarette smoking was reported by 7.1% of them and 0.9% abused opiates during pregnancy. Physical abuse by husband in the year before pregnancy occurred in 7.5% of participants. The rate of cesarean section was 50.4%. Preterm birth, low birth weight, and stillbirth were seen in 6.8, 7.7, and 1.2% of deliveries respectively. The most frequent medical risk factors were urinary tract infection (32.5%), anemia (21.6%), and thyroid disease (4.1%). Conclusion: More effort should be devoted by health policymakers to the establishment of a preconception counselling (health education and risk assessment) and surveillance system; although obstetrical and medical risks should not be neglected too.