Exploring the coping strategies of women after self-immolation: A qualitative study

Women confront a slew of issues following self-immolation, and it is crucial to examine how women react after self-immolation and live with their scars. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of exploring the coping strategies of Kurdish women following self-immolation using a qualitative methodology. The conventional content analysis approach was used in this qualitative investigation. Semi-structured face-to-face and phone interviews were conducted with 26 Kurdish women who had self-immolated and were chosen using purposeful sampling and snowballing for this study. To reinforce the research, Guba and Lincoln's trustworthiness criteria were fulfilled. The data analysis yielded 2 categories, 11 subcategories, and 85 initial codes. Positive coping is one of the categories and subcategories (spirituality, rebuilding their body, psychological rehabilitation, hiding the scars, restoring self-confidence, changing the lifestyle, forming a new life) 2- Negative coping (separation from society, neglecting the body and mind, violence and aggression, staying in the past). Using the capacity of religious organizations to help victims of self-immolation, providing appropriate conditions and facilities to heal the scars caused by self-immolation, and facilitating access to counseling services can provide the conditions for women to better adapt after self-immolation. •self-immolation is one of the violent methods that is common in some countries of the world.•Women self-immolation is more common in some parts of Iran.•Self-immolation of women in Iran is committed under influence of various factors such as, family disputes, psychological problems, spousal disputes and social factors.•Women confront many problems after self-immolation.•Women take two completely different approaches after self-immolation.•In the first approach, these women try to cope with the problems after self-immolation by using positive strategies such as spirituality, rebuilding their body, psychological rehabilitation, hiding their scars, restoring the self-confidence, changing the lifestyle.•In the second approach, women still remain in their past after attempting to self-immolate and try to continue their lives by distancing from society.