How Is Developing the Sense of Belonging in Iranian Adolescent Girls? A Qualitative Study

Mahsa Mousavi; Mohsen Shahriari; Mehrdad Salehi; Shahnaz Kohan

doi:10.3889/oamjms.2018.170

Authors

Mahsa Mousavi School of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran; Department of Midwifery, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan
Mohsen Shahriari Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, Adult Health Nursing Department, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan
Mehrdad Salehi Department of Psychiatry, Behavioral Sciences Research Center, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan
Shahnaz Kohan Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2018.170

Keywords:

belonging, adolescent girl, Iran, qualitative study

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Communicating with adolescents is associated with many challenges for parents and healthcare providers.

AIM: This qualitative study was conducted for exploring the sense of belonging in Iranian adolescent girls.

METHODS: In this study, deep semi-structured interviews were carried out with 27 adolescent girls, 10 experts, and 10 parents. Purposeful sampling was used and continued until data saturation. The data were coded and categorised through a conventional content analysis method by MAXQDA 10.

RESULTS: Three main categories were obtained from the analysis of the participantsâ€™ descriptions: "family; a haven of tranquillity", "dominated by peers", and "concerns about differences in gender socialization". According to our results, most of the girls achieved calmness through being emotionally accepted by their families. But this sense of belonging and tranquillity was shaken by their peersâ€™ showing off, in a way that adolescent girls were always struggling to gain acceptance among their peers. Also for fear of being rejected by their peersâ€™ group, they sometimes began to make friends with the opposite sex. Meanwhile, traditional attitudes towards gender roles and adolescent girls' feelings about their lower social participation as compared to that of boys had also led to their concern about differences in gender socialization and a lower sense of community belonging among some adolescent girls.

CONCLUSION: Adequate parental education and the proper management of girlsâ€™ interactions with the family and society can play an important role in the development of a sense of belonging among adolescent girls.

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