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Article History

Received: 19 June 2024

Accepted: 20 February 2025

First Online: 6 March 2025

Declarations

:

: The study protocol received approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, in line with the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki. Furthermore, the Ethics Committee of the same university sanctioned the research under ID IR.TUMS.SPH.REC 1397.101. Verbal informed consent was obtained from the participants and were encouraged to ask questions and withdraw from the study at any point. Considering that the subject of the study had a political aspect and that the participant’s willingness to participate in the study could change in a dynamic political situation, obtaining verbal consent allowed for the conditions to be clarified in real-time during the interview. This ensured that participants felt sufficiently comfortable to respond to questions. Additionally, face-to-face or direct verbal communication strengthened the sense of trust and the relationship between the parties. Before starting the interviews, the interviewer requested permission to record the sessions and offered detailed explanations about the research objectives, ensuring participants that their information would remain confidential. We strictly adhered to data confidentiality, ethical standards, and data dissemination protocols, ensuring that no personal identifiers, such as names, surnames, or national ID numbers, were recorded in the questionnaires.

: Not applicable.

: The authors declare no competing interests.