{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]],"date-time":"2026-08-31T19:30:06Z","timestamp":1788204606200,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,15]],"date-time":"2025-07-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1752537600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec029\">\n<jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Globally, 1 in 3 women (approximately 30%) experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, with intimate partner violence being the most common form Therefore, official support for women victims of domestic violence, as the most important individuals in achieving sustainable development goals, leads to improved health and empowerment of women, ultimately increasing their productivity in society. The present study aimed to elucidate understanding and experiences of Iranian victims of domestic violence regarding barriers to seeking help.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec030\">\n<jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The present qualitative study employed purposive sampling and in-depth semi-structured interviews with 20 women who were victims of domestic violence from July 2023 to March 2024 at the Legal Medicine Organization, Ardabil, Iran. Qualitative content analysis was conducted conventionally using the method proposed by Zhang and Wildemuth (2016) with MAXQDA software version 10, VERBI Software GmbH, Berlin.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec031\">\n<jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The age range of the participants was 15\u201345 years old with an average age of 30.65 years and the educational level of them ranged from elementary school to postgraduate degrees. The educational backgrounds of their spouses varied from elementary school to doctorate degree. The data analysis yielded three main categories and twelve Subcategories. The categories included \u201cstructural and economic barriers to empowerment\u201d, \u201cineffective support providers\u201d, \u201cand efforts and struggles to preserve the family\u201d.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec032\">\n<jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>This study findings underscore a challenging reality for women, indicating a lengthy journey to assert their rights. Societal support for victims of domestic violence is insufficient, which exacerbates the situation, leading to further exploitation by men and heightened levels of violence. Victims of domestic violence require immediate access to specialized services, financial and moral support from official agencies and facilitating the formal help-seeking process.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0326998","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,15]],"date-time":"2025-07-15T17:23:32Z","timestamp":1752600212000},"page":"e0326998","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Breaking the silence: Barriers to help-seeking among female victims of domestic violence in Ardabil, Iran \u2013 A qualitative study"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"20","author":[{"given":"Samaneh","family":"Dabagh Fekri","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Negar","family":"Khoshnevis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Armin","family":"Zareiyan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Elham","family":"Kheirkhahi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4708-3590","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Zahra","family":"Behboodi Moghadam","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Masoumeh","family":"Namazi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,15]]},"reference":[{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0326998.ref001","article-title":"Domestic violence against women and COVID-19 quarantine: a systematic review study","volume":"20","author":"S-H Alamolhoda","year":"2023","journal-title":"Curr Women\u2019s Health Rev"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0326998.ref002","article-title":"The Association between Domestic violence against women during pregnancy and adverse clinical outcomes of pregnancy in Iran: a systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"18","author":"T Bahmani","year":"2022","journal-title":"Curr Women\u2019s Health Rev"},{"key":"pone.0326998.ref003","volume-title":"Ending intimate abuse: Practical guidance and survival strategies","author":"AR Roberts","year":"2005"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0326998.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"99","DOI":"10.1186\/s12905-017-0453-4","article-title":"Prevalence and predictors of help-seeking for women exposed to spousal violence in India - a cross-sectional study","volume":"17","author":"M Leonardsson","year":"2017","journal-title":"BMC Womens Health"},{"key":"pone.0326998.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-018-5116-3","article-title":"Factors influencing the use of contraceptives through the lens of teenage women: a qualitative study in Iran","volume":"18","author":"A Mardi","year":"2018","journal-title":"BMC public health"},{"issue":"11","key":"pone.0326998.ref006","first-page":"27","article-title":"Investigating affecting factors on violence against women with emphases on wife abuse (case study; Ardebil province)","volume":"6","author":"A Talebpour","year":"2018","journal-title":"Two Quarterly J Contemp Sociol Res"},{"key":"pone.0326998.ref007","volume-title":"Intimate partner violence surveillance: Uniform definitions and recommended data elements","author":"M Breiding","year":"2015"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0326998.ref008","first-page":"149","article-title":"Violence against women in the family (a case study in Ardabil)","volume":"11","author":"S Mohamadoghli","year":"2015","journal-title":"J Family Res"},{"key":"pone.0326998.ref009","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1891\/9780826170996","volume-title":"The battered woman syndrome","author":"LE Walker","year":"2016"},{"key":"pone.0326998.ref010","author":"P Choden","year":"2019"},{"key":"pone.0326998.ref011","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"866","DOI":"10.1186\/1471-2458-13-866","article-title":"Intimate partner violence and help-seeking--a cross-sectional study of women in Sweden","volume":"13","author":"M Dufort","year":"2013","journal-title":"BMC Public Health"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0326998.ref012","first-page":"122","article-title":"Prevalenceinstigating factors and help seeking behavior of physical domestic violence among married women of HyderabadSindh","volume":"30","author":"S Bibi","year":"2014","journal-title":"Pak J Med Sci"},{"issue":"4","key":"pone.0326998.ref013","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"263","DOI":"10.1027\/1016-9040\/a000304","article-title":"Intimate partner violence and help-seeking","volume":"22","author":"S Lelaurain","year":"2017","journal-title":"Eur Psychol"},{"key":"pone.0326998.ref014","first-page":"5","article-title":"Theoretical basis for family violence","volume-title":"Family violence: What health care providers need to know","author":"ME Hyde-Nolan","year":"2012"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0326998.ref015","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"165","DOI":"10.1007\/s10896-013-9569-y","article-title":"Applying the theory of reasoned action to domestic violence reporting behavior: the role of sex and victimization","volume":"29","author":"TN Sulak","year":"2014","journal-title":"J Fam Viol"},{"issue":"26","key":"pone.0326998.ref016","article-title":"Help-seeking and perceived helpfulness of formal help sources for victims of domestic violence: an exploratory study","volume":"11","author":"Z Vasiliauskaite","year":"2015","journal-title":"Eur Sci J"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0326998.ref017","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"524","DOI":"10.1177\/10778012221137924","article-title":"Motivations and barriers to help-seeking among female victims of intimate partner violence in Ghana","volume":"30","author":"E Rohn","year":"2024","journal-title":"Violence Against Women"},{"key":"pone.0326998.ref018","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"682","DOI":"10.1177\/0886260517689886","article-title":"Ghanaian Women\u2019s knowledge and perceptions of services available to victims of intimate partner violence","volume":"35","author":"A Anyemedu","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Interpers Violence"},{"issue":"14","key":"pone.0326998.ref019","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2026","DOI":"10.1177\/0192513X16657128","article-title":"Does type and severity of violence affect the help-seeking behaviors of victims of intimate partner violence in Nigeria?","volume":"38","author":"EY Tenkorang","year":"2016","journal-title":"J Fam Issues"},{"issue":"8","key":"pone.0326998.ref020","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"771","DOI":"10.1007\/s10896-013-9543-8","article-title":"Factors influencing domestic and marital violence against women in Ghana","volume":"28","author":"EY Tenkorang","year":"2013","journal-title":"J Fam Viol"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0326998.ref021","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3","DOI":"10.1177\/1524838013496335","article-title":"Disclosure of intimate partner violence to informal social support network members: a review of the literature","volume":"15","author":"KM Sylaska","year":"2014","journal-title":"Trauma Violence Abuse"},{"key":"pone.0326998.ref022","volume-title":"Essentials of nursing research: Appraising evidence for nursing practice","author":"D Polit","year":"2020"},{"key":"pone.0326998.ref023","volume-title":"Nursing research: generating and assessing evidence for nursing practice","author":"DF Polit","year":"2008"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0326998.ref024","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"370","DOI":"10.1186\/s12905-023-02525-7","article-title":"\u201cFamily and society empowerment\u201d: a content analysis of the needs of Iranian women who experience domestic violence during pregnancy: a qualitative study","volume":"23","author":"M Amel Barez","year":"2023","journal-title":"BMC Womens Health"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0326998.ref025","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"58","DOI":"10.1186\/s12978-021-01276-8","article-title":"Women\u2019s strategies for managing domestic violence during pregnancy: a qualitative study in Iran","volume":"19","author":"M Amel Barez","year":"2022","journal-title":"Reprod Health"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0326998.ref026","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"105","DOI":"10.1016\/j.nedt.2003.10.001","article-title":"Qualitative content analysis in nursing research: concepts, procedures and measures to achieve trustworthiness","volume":"24","author":"UH Graneheim","year":"2004","journal-title":"Nurse Educ Today"},{"key":"pone.0326998.ref027","volume-title":"Qualitative methods for health research","author":"J Green","year":"2018"},{"key":"pone.0326998.ref028","first-page":"105","article-title":"Competing paradigms in qualitative research","volume-title":"Handbook of qualitative research","author":"EG Guba","year":"1994"},{"issue":"4","key":"pone.0326998.ref029","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"537","DOI":"10.1177\/0891243214532311","article-title":"What\u2019s gendered about gender-based violence? An empirically grounded theoretical exploration from Tanzania","volume":"28","author":"H Jakobsen","year":"2014","journal-title":"Gender Soc"},{"key":"pone.0326998.ref030","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"224","DOI":"10.1080\/17441692.2015.1047391","article-title":"Stigma, shame and women\u2019s limited agency in help-seeking for intimate partner violence","volume":"11","author":"J McCleary-Sills","year":"2016","journal-title":"Glob Public Health"},{"key":"pone.0326998.ref031","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"11","DOI":"10.1186\/s12905-016-0293-7","article-title":"Experience of intimate partner violence among young pregnant women in urban slums of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal: a qualitative study","volume":"16","author":"K Deuba","year":"2016","journal-title":"BMC Womens Health"},{"issue":"4","key":"pone.0326998.ref032","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1286","DOI":"10.1353\/hpu.2015.0135","article-title":"Multiple intimate partner violence experiences: knowledge, access, utilization and barriers to utilization of resources by women of the African Diaspora","volume":"26","author":"B Sabri","year":"2015","journal-title":"J Health Care Poor Underserved"},{"key":"pone.0326998.ref033","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"10564","DOI":"10.1177\/0886260519883863","article-title":"Mothers\u2019 experiences of parenting within the context of intimate partner violence: unique challenges and resilience","volume":"36","author":"A Fogarty","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Interpers Violence"},{"issue":"6","key":"pone.0326998.ref034","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0198098","article-title":"\u201cStaying for the children\u201d: the role of natal relatives in supporting women experiencing intimate partner violence during pregnancy in northern Tanzania - A qualitative study","volume":"13","author":"GN Sigalla","year":"2018","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"issue":"8","key":"pone.0326998.ref035","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1742","DOI":"10.1016\/j.socscimed.2007.05.047","article-title":"\u201cHealth\u2019s a difficult beast\u201d: the interrelationships between domestic violence, women\u2019s health and the health sector. An Australian case study","volume":"65","author":"C Fisher","year":"2007","journal-title":"Soc Sci Med"},{"issue":"23","key":"pone.0326998.ref036","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"4694","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph16234694","article-title":"Community stakeholders\u2019 perspectives on intimate partner violence during pregnancy-a qualitative study from Ethiopia","volume":"16","author":"BT Gashaw","year":"2019","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"}],"container-title":["PLOS One"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0326998","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,15]],"date-time":"2025-07-15T17:23:44Z","timestamp":1752600224000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0326998"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Shadab","family":"Shahali","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"editor"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,15]]},"references-count":36,"journal-issue":{"issue":"7","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,15]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0326998","relation":{},"ISSN":["1932-6203"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1932-6203","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,15]]}}}