Seeking comfort: Women mental health process in I. R. Iran: A grounded theory study

Background: psychosocial factor is considered as intermediate social determinant of health,because it has powerful effects on health especially in women. hence deeper understanding of the mental-health process needed for its promotion. the aim of this study was to explore women's experience of the mental-health problem and related action-interactions activities to design the appropriate interventions. methods: in-depth interviews with women 18-65 years were analyzed according to the grounded theory method. the selection of participants was based on purposeful and theoretical sampling. results: in this study,a substantive theory was generated; explaining how female with the mental-health problem handled their main concern,which was identified as their effort to achieve comfort (core variable). the other six categories are elements in this process. daily stress as a trigger,satisfaction is the end point,marriage is the key point and action - interaction activities in this process are strengthening human essence,developing life skills and help seeking. conclusions: better understanding the mental-health process might be useful to design the interventional program among women with mental-health problems.