title: Premarital Sexual Intercourse-Related Individual Factors Among Iranian Adolescents: A Qualitative Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Understanding sexual behavior before marriage is relatively rare in the East, especially in Islamic societies, because sexuality is a sensitive subject for many Muslims.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to identify premarital sexual intercourse-related individual factors among Iranian adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  This qualitative study was performed on 30 students of Payame Noor university of Shiraz city, Iran, in 2014. The study sample includes male and female university students selected using the convenience sampling method. Semistructured interviews were used to collect data. All interviews were conducted by the researcher in a comfortable atmosphere and carried out without the presence of others. Each interview lasted between 30 - 20 minutes. Interviews continued until data saturation occurred. Data were analyzed using the qualitative content analysis method. Participation in the study was voluntary by obtaining an informed consent.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study included 30 participants, 56.6% (n = 17) males and 43.4% (n = 13) females. The age range of study, participants was from 19 to 25 years of age. Data analysis showed that three main categories extracted in shaping premarital sexual intercourse in adolescents: health beliefs, religious-spiritual beliefs, and character.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study can help find a culturally appropriate intervention to delay sexual initiation and prevent sexual behavior before marriage in adolescents and young adults. The results of the present study have both experimental and theoretical implications for future research. Finally, this study is a form of shared experience that can help similar studies.
authors.affiliation: Environmental and Occupational Hazards Control Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran; Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Mohtasham
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ghaffari
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Zabihollah
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gharlipour Gharghani
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Yadollah
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mehrabi
authors.affiliation: Environmental and Occupational Hazards Control Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ramezankhani
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Shiraz University, Shiraz, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Majeed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Movahed
keywords: Premarital Sex Behavior; Qualitative Research; Students