Perception of Identity Threat as the Main Disturbance of Iranian Divorced Women: A Qualitative Study

ABSRACT

Postdivorce identity challenges can be experienced differently in societies that underline the lack of normalcy of divorce. Therefore, this study was conducted to explore Iranian divorced women’s perceptions of their identities. A qualitative content analysis method was applied. Participants included 18 divorced women recruited based on purposive sampling. Data were gathered using unstructured interviews, and analyzed via content analysis method. Three categories—stigmatization, separation shock, and remarriage paradox—were extracted, and the main theme was identity threat. Findings illustrate that Iranian divorced women can be considered at risk, and hence, understanding their views is vital for developing context-specific preventive and intervention programs.

KEYWORDS:

• Divorced women
• identity threat
• Iran
• qualitative research

Acknowledgments

The authors of this article announce their appreciation and recognition to Tarbiat Modares University, and to individuals and institutions that collaborated with this research, and also all the participants, without whom this study would not have been possible.

Funding

This research was performed for a master’s thesis in psychology at Tarbiat Modares University in Tehran and it was carried out with financial assistance from this institution.