The Context and Consequences of Divorce in Rasht City, Iran: A Qualitative Study

Introduction: In recent years, due to rising of divorce statistics in the country, paying attention to causes of this phenomenon is considered. This qualitative study aimed to assess the context and consequences of divorce in Rasht City, Iran. Method: This was a qualitative study with phenomenological approach. ۲۵ men and women, who experienced divorce, were selected using purposive sampling method, and were studied via in-depth and exploratory interviews. Then, the data were collected, registered, encoded, and classified into themes and subthemes categories. Results: By analyzing the participants&#۳۹; experiences, ۵۱۶ primary codes, ۶ main themes, and ۲۱ subthemes were extracted. The findings in the context of divorce were classified in ۹ subthemes, and ۳ main themes of large, interactive, and small contexts. The consequences of divorce consisted of ۱۲ subthemes, and ۳ main themes of economic, social-cultural, and individual outcomes. Conclusion: Participants experiences indicate that divorce is multidimensional and interactive, with changing affecting factors, and structural relationship between its context and consequences. So, for any prevention program, counseling, or intervention, these structural relationships, affecting factors, and multidimensional nature should be considered.

Keywords:

Divorce , Outcomes assessment , qualitative research