Help-seeking challenges for female sexual concerns: a qualitative study from Iran

Abstract

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.

Keywords

• Sexual health
• Sexual dysfunctions
• Help-seeking behavior
• Health services
• Healthcare providers
• Qualitative research