Abstract
<p>Due to the higher statistics of male infidelity, the focus of previous studies has been on investigating the reasons for infidelity in this gender group. On the other hand; since marital infidelity is a phenomenon that affects every country’s culture, people, and even families, the results of research studies conducted overseas cannot be fully implicated to Iranian families. To this end, this study aimed at analyzing the reasons behind infidelity in women with extra-marital relationships in the form of a qualitative study. This study was conducted through a qualitative research approach and by using the content analysis method. Participants included 11 women referred to the counseling centers in the city of Isfahan. Purposive sampling was used and continued until data saturation. Semi-structured interviews were employed as the primary method of data collection. The data were analyzed via qualitative content analysis and constant comparative analysis methods. After the examination and division of the basic concepts, 800 initial codes were extracted from interviews. The categories were created based on the codes following several reviews and summarizations on the basis of similarities. By the nature, these conceptual and abstract themes were named in three categories of intrapersonal factors, marital conflicts, and sexual reasons. The factors affecting female infidelity in this study had three dimensions. These factors included intrapersonal factors, marital conflicts, and sexual reasons. These findings can help psychologists, family counselors, and planners in the field of the social sciences identify the efficient scopes and purposes.</p>
Highlights
Marital infidelity is one of the factors threatening family structure and the most fundamental sense, i.e. the sense of belonging
The findings of this study revealed that women are more likely to be separated from their husbands after infidelity and get married with the men involved
The content analysis of the interviews indicated that the reasons behind marital infidelity can be grouped into three categories of intrapersonal factors, marital conflicts, and sexual reasons
Summary
Marital infidelity is one of the factors threatening family structure and the most fundamental sense, i.e. the sense of belonging. It raises the fear of rejection among individuals. Marital infidelity is considered as one of the threating factors affecting performance, stability, and the endurance of marital relationships as well as one of the main reasons for divorce and the collapse of marriage Studies conducted on the reasons behind divorce suggest that extra-marital sexual affair has been the most important factor affecting the end of marriage (Tuttle & Davis, 2015). South & Lloyd (1995) in a study reported that in one-thirds of all divorces in the United States; at least one spouse has been involved in extra-marital sexual behavior. 34 percent of men and 19 percent of women in the adult groups in the www.ccsenet.org/mas
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