Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Allameh tabatabaii university
2 Department of Counseling, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Allameh Tabataba’i University
Abstract
Children raised in welfare centers receive less social interaction compared to those growing up in families, and they are more likely to experience persistent emotional and behavioral problems throughout their development. Therefore, in Iran, a temporary child-hosting program has been implemented for several years to ensure that, in addition to physical care, these children’s emotional needs are also fulfilled.
In the summer of 2025, during the twelve-day war between Iran and the usurping Zionist regime, to ensure the safety of infants, the Welfare Organization facilitated the transfer of children to families for temporary hosting. This process involved unique challenges and experiences for both the Welfare Organization and the host parents. Accordingly, the present study aimed to explore the lived experiences of host mothers during this war.
This qualitative study employed semi-structured interviews with 11 mothers, and the data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s method. In total, data analysis yielded 67 open codes, 23 axial codes, and 7 themes. The extracted themes included: post-hosting beliefs during the war, emotional patterns of hosting during the war, functional transformations in the hosting process, hosting motivation during the war, hosting challenges during the war, development of maternal identity and hosting during the war, and welfare facilitation strategies for hosting during the war.
Overall, the findings suggest that the hosting experience is an existential, profoundly transformative, and complex process that not only provides the necessary care for the child but also empowers the host mother, transforming her into a stronger and more capable woman than before.
Keywords
Main Subjects
)