Help-Seeking Challenges for Female Sexual Concerns: A Qualitative Study From Iran Publisher Pubmed



Maasoumi R^{1, 2} ; Sabetghadam S^{3, 4} ; Keramat A⁵ ; Aghayan SS⁶
Source: BMC Health Services Research Published:2023

Abstract

Background: To effectively manage sexual health, people must have access to sexual health services. A small percentage of women with sexual concerns seek professional help. Hence, the need to explain the help-seeking challenges is felt from the perspective of women and health care providers. Methods: This study explored Iranian women’s challenges when seeking help for sexual concerns. Using a purposive sampling method, 26 in-depth interviews were conducted in Rasht in 2019–2020. The participants included sexually active women of reproductive age over 18 years old and 8 health care providers. The recorded interviews were transcribed and analyzed through content analysis. Results: From the description of 17 subthemes provided by the participants, two main themes were achieved, “Unfavorable sexuality development context” and “Inefficient sexual health services.” Conclusions: According to the results, it is suggested that policymakers pay more attention to the challenges women and health care providers face in help-seeking and promote sexuality education and sexual health services to achieve a higher level of help-seeking among women. © 2023, The Author(s).