واکاوی آسیب‌های خانوادگی زوجین ایرانی پس از مهاجرت به کشور کانادا

Introduction: Immigration, as a challenging socio-psychological phenomenon, has garnered increasing attention from researchers in recent years (Tylan & Weber, 2023). This life-altering process can cause numerous harms to the family system (Arabzadeh Behri, 2023). Canada, as one of the primary destinations for Iranian immigrants (Salavati, 2021) and one of the most immigrant-accepting countries in the world (Statistics Canada, 2022), provides a setting for studying these challenges. Although immigration can have positive consequences, such as increased independence or improved marital intimacy (Hyman et al., 2008), evidence suggests that it is associated with profound stressors that can reduce marital satisfaction (Eshghi 2023) and transform family dynamics (Aika et al., 2018). Challenges such as cultural incompatibility (Astinfeshan, 2024; Ziaian et al., 2023), economic and occupational issues (Fakhari et al., 2023), concerns about child rearing (Milewski, 2023), and the disruption of social support networks (Guruge et al., 2010) place strain on the relationships of immigrant couples. Despite these issues, a clear research gap was felt regarding a comprehensive analysis of family harms experienced by Iranian couples in the context of immigration to Canada. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to answer the fundamental question: What are the family harms faced by Iranian couples after immigrating to Canada?

Methodology: This research employed a qualitative approach with thematic analysis. The analysis framework was Braun and Clarke's (2021) six-phase model: familiarization with the data, generating initial codes, searching for themes, reviewing themes, defining and naming themes, and producing the final report. The statistical population consisted of all Iranian couples who had immigrated to Canada and had at least 1 year of residency. Sampling was done purposively (criterion-based) and through virtual networks of Iranians residing in Canada. Inclusion criteria were both partners being of Iranian origin, at least 1 year since immigration, at least 2 years of marriage, informed consent, age range of 25 to 60 years, a minimum of a high school diploma, no history of psychiatric illness or divorce, and legal entry into Canada. The data were collected through semi-structured in-depth (online) interviews, which were conducted with 15 couples and continued until theoretical saturation was attained. Validation of the findings was conducted through participant review and auditing by family experts. Ethical considerations of the research comprised informed consent, confidentiality, and the right to withdraw from the research.

Findings: Data analysis yielded 118 primary codes, 22 sub-themes, and eight main themes. Demographic characteristics indicated that the research samples mainly included young/middle-aged couples (30-53 years old), with higher education (mostly Master's degrees), residing in the country for two to five years, and often holding student visas. The main themes and sub-themes were as follows:

1. Psychological Issues and Problems Related to Family: Including incompatibility with fundamental life changes, a deep sense of loneliness (especially in crises), increased anxiety and systemic stress, decreased tolerance and irritability in family interactions, and feelings of guilt resulting from the inability to support the family of origin.

2. Marital Issues and Problems: Consisting of a relative increase in marital conflicts, a decrease in the quantity and quality of time spent together, the prominence of poor communication skills in the absence of a prior support network, and, in some cases, forced independence in addressing the relationship, which was an opportunity for some and a threat for others.

3. Social Communication Challenges: With the components of "challenges in using the language" (beyond a practical obstacle and damaging to self-esteem) and "feelings of social insecurity" (bias in interpreting the behavior of others as discrimination).

4. Occupational Issues Damaging to the Family: Including perceived job discrimination (feeling rejected based on prior identity) and job demotion (experiencing complex grief and identity conflict resulting from the loss of social position).

5. Economic Damages to the Family: Consisting of difficult financial planning (starting over from scratch and losing symbolic assets) and difficult and costly housing provision (a structural barrier to feeling stable and settled).

6. Educational Damages to Children in the Family: Including excessive government support for children (perceived confiscation of the parental relationship and authority, creating fear) and the continuous threat of changing values and educational concerns (normative conflict with the culture of the country of origin).

7. Cultural Incompatibility Damaging to the Family System: With the sub-components of social alienation in a multicultural society and culture shock (loss of a familiar meaning system for interpreting behaviors).

8. Strict and Rigid Laws Limiting the Family: including strictness in marital relationships (legal intervention in disputes and violation of privacy), the possibility of being harmed by strict laws (feelings of insecurity and fear of unintended consequences), and the perception of reverse discrimination and inversion of family hierarchies (feelings of systematic victimization of men and reverse prioritization of the law).



Conclusion: The findings indicate that the immigration of Iranian couples to Canada poses profound and interconnected challenges to the family system in psychological, communicational, economic, cultural, and legal dimensions. These challenges extend beyond individual issues and affect family dynamics systematically. The findings of this research are consistent with the results of previous studies, such as Aran et al. (2023) on feelings of loneliness Bulut et al. (2024) on psychological burnout, Tam & Grimes (2023) on the exacerbation of conflicts, and research on job discrimination and the economic challenges of immigrants. The final conclusion suggests that the lack of planning, training, and systematic support exacerbates these harms. Therefore, the design and implementation of comprehensive intervention programs before and after immigration, focusing on strengthening individual and family resilience, intercultural and communication skills training, and legal awareness, are undeniable necessities to reduce structural harms and promote the cohesion of immigrant families. One limitation of the research is the prevalence of samples with student visas, which makes generalizing to all immigrants rather tough. Future researchers are recommended to consider more diverse samples by type of residence and to conduct comparative studies across different immigrant-receiving countries.