Social determinants of violence against adolescent married women and how the women respond to it: A qualitative study in the Kurdish areas of Iran.

Abstract

Objective: It is crucial to identify the factors that influence violence against women, one of Iran's most significant health and social issues. Thus, the purpose of this research is to explore the social determinants of violence against adolescent married women and how the women respond to it in the Kurdish areas of Iran via a qualitative approach.

Method: The present study was conducted with a qualitative approach and the conventional content analysis method among 33 married adolescent women who experienced violence and key informants in the Kurdish areas of Iran. Targeted and snowball sampling were used to reach the participants, and semistructured interviews were used to collect data. In order to improve the quality of the research results, Guba and Lincoln criteria were observed.

Results: Four categories, 18 subcategories, and 195 codes were obtained from the data analysis: (a) sociocultural factors (beliefs dictated by cultural norms, fatalism, incomplete social support, and weakness of the law), (b) family factors (the prevalence of silence in the face of violence, the existence of a model of violence and aggression in families, and inappropriate conditions of the husband), (c) individual factors (strong dependence on the husband, unstable position, low self-confidence, not having enough sexual skills, not having enough skills in interpersonal relationships, and too much insistence on continuing married life), and (d) reactions from the victims (silence and concealment, seeking support, tolerance, confrontation, and revenge).

Conclusions: Violence against adolescent married women is influenced by various sociocultural, family, and individual factors, and women react differently to the violence of their husbands, the most common of which is silence and concealment. Therefore, prevention of this phenomenon requires individual, family, social, and cultural interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).