Sexual well-being is an important factor in postdivorce adjustment
and presents various challenges for divorced women in Iran.
With an alarming number of marriages ending in divorce in Iran,
the postdivorce sexuality adjustment process has become a major
concern. Meanings attached to the sexuality of a divorcee necessitate
different adjustment and coping strategies among women.
How these meanings are generated, negotiated, and modified in
Iranian contexts has yet to be explored. We used a grounded theory
approach to analyze the extensive, rich data obtained through sustained
interaction with the informants as well as through in-depth
individual interviews and focus group discussions. “Sociosexual
problems” was found to be one of the main domains in our study.
Participants experienced a negative impact from divorce on their
sexual lives, including sexual interactions. Social isolation and
social exclusion resulted from the avoidance of stereotypic interactions
and were often a consequence of difficulties with concealment
of sexual needs due to stigma.Women discussed a range of negative
experiences arising in response to their sexual needs in postdivorce
life. The analysis revealed the complexities of gendered postdivorce
sexual trajectories. Based on the findings, articulating a sexual
health model specific for divorced women seems important.
