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Article History

Received: 15 August 2024

Accepted: 20 June 2025

First Online: 11 July 2025

Declarations

:

: The present study is part of a doctoral thesis in nursing and has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Golestan University of Medical Sciences (Ethics code: IR.GOUMS.REC.1401.512). Participants who expressed their willingness to participate were furnished with detailed information regarding the study’s objectives, the nature of their participation, and their right to withdraw at any time without repercussions, as delineated in an informed consent form. Participants were allowed to ask questions before obtaining written consent to ensure that their consent was informed and voluntary. They were also assured that participating in the study would not affect their academic progress or final evaluation.Confidentiality was ensured by assigning unique identifiers to replace personal information in study records. Anonymity was maintained by omitting names and other personal identifiers from the transcripts and publications derived from the study. Strategies implemented to protect privacy included conducting interviews in private settings and securing digital data through encryption. All stages of this study, from the design to data collection, analysis, and reporting, were conducted in compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki, national ethical guidelines for research, and the policies enacted by the Biomedical Research Ethics Committee of Golestan University of Medical Sciences.

: Not applicable.

: The authors declare no competing interests.