Domestic Violence and Its Impact on Abortion in Iran: Evidence From a Nationally Representative Survey.

The objective of this article is to assess the effect of domestic violence on abortion and investigate the mediating role of unwanted pregnancy. A secondary analysis was conducted on the National Family Survey data. This survey was a cross-sectional study conducted across Iran in 2018. The association between domestic violence and abortion was analyzed using the Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM) with WarpPLS version 8.0. From among 1,544 married women (mean age 42.8 years) who participated in this survey, 27% (418 women) reported experiencing at-least one-lifetime of abortion. Overall, two in three women (67.3%) experienced at least one form of domestic violence. Almost half of the women with experience of abortion (49.3%) reported at least one unwanted pregnancy in their life course. The bivariate analysis showed a significant positive relationship between domestic violence and abortion, and there was a positive direct effect of domestic violence on unwanted pregnancy. Moreover, age had a negative direct and indirect effect on unwanted pregnancy and abortion. Although, the direct effect of domestic violence on abortion was not significant in the Structure Equation Model, a positive indirect effect of domestic violence on abortion through unwanted pregnancy was confirmed. The effect of unwanted pregnancy on abortion was particularly strong (ß = .395, p < .01). These results have some implications for prevention of abortion through interventions against unwanted and unplanned pregnancy and domestic violence. This study makes a unique theoretical contribution to the literature through assessing the mediating role of unwanted pregnancy between domestic violence and abortion by using the SEM model.

The influence of men's masculine gender-role attitude and behaviour on sexual relationships and reproductive health in Malaysia: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: This article is an extension of a previous research on masculinity and sexual and reproductive health using a newly developed local masculinity scale, KANITA Masculinity Scale, to study men's masculine gender-role attitude and behavior in Malaysia. OBJECTIVE: To explore how Malaysian men's masculine gender-role attitude and behavior influence sexual relationships and reproductive health. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study used the localized gender-equitable men scale to measure the attitude of Malaysian men toward sexual relationships and reproductive health. A questionnaire survey was administered to a sample of 168 men of ages 20-64 yr, in Malaysia. Data were analyzed using SmartPLS version 3.2.6. RESULTS: The findings of the study showed that men's traditional behavior and controlling nature are positively associated with the inequality in sexual relationships (p < 0.05, t = 1.838; and p < 0.05, t = 3.750, respectively) and reproductive health (p < 0.05, t = 2.196; and p < 0.05, t = 4.133, respectively). In other words, men who offer stronger endorsement of traditional behavior and control over women report more negative condom attitude and greater priority of men's desire in sexual relationships. In contrast, there was no significant relationship between men's response to family and feminine roles in men with sexual relationships and reproductive health. CONCLUSION: Our findings highlight the importance of considering traditional masculinity ideology when considering the role of men in sexual relationships and reproductive health. Our findings suggest gender transformative policies and programs seeking to inspire men for more gender-equitable relationships with their partners.

Internet addiction and maladaptive schemas: The potential role of disconnection/rejection and impaired autonomy/performance.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Problematic internet use (PIU) has become public health concern, particularly among adolescents and emerging adults. There is growing interest concerning the potential impacts of early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) on PIU and its most severe manifestation internet addiction (IA). However, a deeper understanding of these relationships is needed regarding of effects of schemas on IA. The purpose of the present study was to explore the role of EMSs among adults. METHODS: The sample comprised 714 Iranian participants who completed a self-report survey comprising sociodemographic variables, the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), and the Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form (YSQ-SF). The data were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). RESULTS: Findings indicated that there was a positive and significant relationship between EMS domains and IA. The results confirmed that disconnection/rejection schema domains and impaired autonomy/performance schema domains were significantly related with IA. The results of the analysis of convergent validity and discriminant validity were acceptable among the nine reflective constructs. CONCLUSION: Findings of the present study indicated that existence of underlying EMSs may be a vulnerability factor for developing IA and adds to the growing body of cyberpsychology literature that has examined the relationships between the EMSs and IA.

A qualitative examination of men's participation in contraceptive use and its barriers in Tehran.

From 1989 to 2014, Iran was known as a country with a successful family planning programme, and has experienced a sharp decline in fertility over recent decades. This led to the introduction of pronatalist policies in 2014 and the restriction of family planning services. The aim of this study was to explore men's views on their access to contraceptive information and services and the socio-cultural barriers to such access in Tehran. The qualitative study was conducted in 2014 using in-depth interviews with 60 married men of varying ages and socioeconomic status from across Tehran. The data were analysed with a basic interpretive approach using MAXQDA10. Although the majority of the men acknowledged the importance of family planning and contraceptive use, they reported that their access to contraceptive information and services was limited. Discussion of sexual matters and contraception among men was identified as being somewhat embarrassing. Three main issues were identified: (1) men's poor awareness of contraceptive use; (2) men's poor access to high-quality health care services; and (3) cultural taboos and gender norms as barriers to contraception use by men. Socio-cultural and gender norms were found to significantly affect the men's contraceptive use. The study results support the growing call for gender-transformative approaches to family planning and reproductive health service delivery in Iran, to involve men and facilitate their greater participation.