Centre for Mental Health and Society

Member, CFMHAS

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

PhD

School of Health Sciences, Bangor University
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z.jorjoranshushtari@bangor.ac.uk

03000 847086

Zahra Jorjoran Shushtari

My research interests encompass Social Determinants of Health (SDH), social networks and health, health inequality, and health and care services. I am also interested in health risk behaviours, such as STI/HIV risk behaviours, drug use, smoking behaviour, and interventions to change risk behaviours.

I hold a PhD in Health Sciences-Social Determinants of Health from the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences (USWR) in Tehran. During my PhD, I had an opportunity to visit Groningen University as a visiting scholar for a half year to work on my PhD thesis under the supervision of Prof. Tom Snijders.  Since graduation, I have been working at the Social Determinants of Health Research Centre at USWR from 2018 to 2023. During my time there, I have collaborated on several research projects, more importantly, I have secured five national and international research grants as a principal investigator (PI) or Co-PI from the National Institute for Medical Research Development (NIMAD), UNAIDS, and USWR. I was the principal investigator for a social network study to assess the feasibility and acceptability of social network-based HIV testing in high-risk women. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I was the principal investigator in a mixed-method study regarding social determinants of adherence to COVID-19 preventive guidelines. In addition, I was awarded a research grant from UNAIDS to develop a comprehensive model for HIV support services in adolescents infected with or affected by HIV.

Currently, my research is focused on social determinants of mental health disorders at Bangor University. Under the supervision of Prof. Rob Poole and Prof. Peter Huxley, we are planning to utilize a new approach to study the effect of neighbourhood deprivation on mental health disorders in Wales and identify the mechanisms through which neighbourhood deprivation affects mental health disorders in the Welsh population.

Presentations

Oral presentation of paper, title: Feasibility and Acceptability of Social Network based HIV testing Among Female Sex Workers in Tehran.  INSNA Sunbelt conference.  June 2024

Papers

  • Shushtari, Z. J., Salimi, Y., Sajjadi, H., & Paykani, T. . Effect of Social Support Interventions on Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy Among People Living with HIV: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. AIDS and Behavior. 2024. 2023 May;27(5):1619-1635. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-022-03894-0
  • Sajadipour, M., Rezaei, S., Irandoost, S. F., Ghaumzadeh, M., Gholami, M., Salimi, Y., & Jorjoran Shushtari, Z. . What explains gender inequality in HIV infection among high-risk people? A Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition. Archives of Public Health. 2022. 80(1), 1-9.. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-021-00758-2
  • Jorjoran Shushtari, Z., Salimi, Y., Hosseini, S. A., Sajjadi, H., & Snijders, T. A.B . Determinants of safe sexual behavior of female sex workers in Tehran: the woman, her network, and the sexual partner. BMC public health. 2021. 21(1), 1-11. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-12266-7
  • German, D., M. Dejman, Y. Salimi, S. Murray, S. Assari, J. Bass, C. Flynn and Z. Jorjoran Shushtari. . Physical and Sexual Intimate Partner Violence and Psychological Distress among Injection Drug Users in Baltimore. Violence and Gender. 2021. DOI: https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1089/vio.2020.0056
  • Shushtari, Z. J., Salimi, Y., Ahmadi, S., Rajabi-Gilan, N., Shirazikhah, M., Biglarian, A., ... & Gharehghani, . Social determinants of adherence to COVID-19 preventive guidelines: a comprehensive review. Osong public health and research perspectives. 2021. 12(6), 346.. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24171/j.phrp.2021.0180
  • Jorjoran Shushtari, Z., A. Mirzazadeh, S. SeyedAlinaghi, S. A. Hosseini, H. Sajjadi, Y. Salimi, T. A.B Snijders . Social Support Associated with Condom Use Behavior Among Female Sex Workers in Iran. International journal of behavioral medicine. 2021. 1-13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-021-10017-x
  • Bavarsad, M. B., M. Foroughan, N. Zanjari, Z. J. Shushtari and G. G. Harouni . Psychometric properties of modified MOS social support survey 5-item (MSSS-5-item) among Iranian older adults. BMC Geriatr. 2021. 21: 409. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-021-02353-0
  • Shushtari, Z. J., Hosseini, S. A., Sajjadi, H., Salimi, Y., Shahesmaeili, A., & Snijders, T. A. . HIV risk perception and sexual behaviors among female sex workers in Tehran, Iran. Medical journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran. 2019. 33, 101. DOI: HTpPS://doi: 10.34171/mjiri.33.101
  • Shushtari, Z. J., Hosseini, S., Sajjadi, H., Salimi, Y., Shahesmaeili, A., & Snijders, T. . Safe sex norm questionnaire for female sex workers: development and validation study in Iran. Public health. 2018. 164, 82-90. . DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2018.07.023
  • Shushtari, Z. J., Hosseini, S. A., Sajjadi, H., Salimi, Y., Latkin, C., & Snijders, T. A.. Social network and HIV risk behaviors in female sex workers: a systematic review. BMC Public Health . 2018. 18(1), 1-16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5944-1
  • Sajjadi, H., Jorjoran Shushtari, Z., Shati, M., Salimi, Y., Dejman, M., Vameghi, M., Mahmoodi, Z.. An indirect estimation of the population size of students with high-HIV risk behaviors in select universities of medical sciences: A network scale-up study. PloS one. 2018. 3(5), e0195364. . DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0195364
  • Noroozi, M., Ahmadi, S., Armoon, B., Jorjoran Shushtari, Z., Sharhani, A., Ahounbar, E., Qorbani, M. . Social determinants associated with risky sexual behaviors among men who inject drugs in Kermanshah, Western Iran. Journal of Substance Use. 2018. 23(6), 591-596. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14659891.2018.1459905
  • Sajjadi, H., Shushtari, Z. J., Mahboubi, S., Rafiey, H., & Salimi, Y.. Effect of socio-economic status, family smoking and mental health through social network on the substance use potential in adolescents: a mediation analysis. Public health. 2018. 157, 14-19.. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2018.01.004
  • Mahboubi, S., Salimi, Y., Shushtari, Z. J., Rafiey, H., & Sajjadi, H.. Sibling cigarette smoking and peer network influences on substance use potential among adolescent: a population-based study. . International journal of adolescent medicine and health. 2017. 32(4). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/ijamh-2017-0162
  • Forouzan, A. S., Jorjoran Shushtari, Z., Sajjadi, H., Salimi, Y., & Dejman, M. . Social support network among people living with HIV/AIDS in Iran. AIDS research and treatment . 2013. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155%2F2013%2F715381