Abstract
Background
Adolescence is one of the most important stages in every individual’s life. Pubertal changes and acquiring reproduction capability require adolescents to perform special health care processes. Also the possibility of involvement in high-risk sexual behaviors endangers adolescent girls’ sexual and reproductive health.
Objective
Increase and deepen the understanding and knowledge of the factors affecting Iranian adolescent girls’ readiness to take care of their sexual and reproductive health.
Materials and methods
The present qualitative study was conducted using conventional content analysis method. The participants included 18 adolescents who were aged 13–19 years old, single, studying at high school, art school, or university and had no history of chronic medical or psychological diseases; further, most of them had the experience of menstruation. Purposive sampling was initiated and continued until data saturation. Data collection were performed using in-depth and unstructured interviews. Qualitative content analysis of the interviews was conducted simultaneously with data collection using the Graneheim and Lundman approach .MAXQDA 2010 software was used for storage, retrieval, and management of the data.
Findings
Preparation for care was the main theme that emerged in this study along with 19 subcategories and four main categories, including desirable interaction between families and adolescents, readiness for puberty and menstruation, life skills and spiritual self-monitoring.
Conclusion
The education and health care systems’ authorities of the country can exploit the results of this study for making policies and interventions expedient to the society’s cultural conditions in order to improve the reproductive and sexual self-care status of adolescents’ girls.
Acknowledgments
This article was taken from a PhD thesis on reproductive health in Shahid Beheshti University; hence, I would like to sincerely thank the Vice Chancellor for Research of Shahid Beheshti University and the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery for their cooperation as well as all the participants who participated in this study and put their precious time at our disposal.
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