“In My Culture, We Don’t Know Anything About That”: Sexual and Reproductive Health of Migrant and Refugee Women

Christine Metusela1, Jane M. Ussher1, Janette Perz1, Alexandra Hawkey1, Michael R. Morrow2, Renu Narchal1, Jane Estoesta3, Melissa Monteiro4
1Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia
2York University, Toronto, Canada
3Family Planning, New South Wales, Australia
4Community Migrant Resource Centre, Paramatta, Australia

Tóm tắt

Từ khóa


Tài liệu tham khảo

World Health Organisation. Mental health aspects of women’s reproductive health: a global review of the literature. Geneva: W.H.O; 2009.

World Health Organisation. Measuring sexual health: conceptual and practical considerations and related indicators. Geneva: W.H.O; 2010.

Aggleton P, Campbell C. Working with young people—towards an agenda for sexual health. Sex Relation Ther. 2000;15(3):283–96. doi: 10.1080/14681990050109863 .

World Health Organisation. Defining sexual health: report of a technical consultation on sexual health. Geneva: W.H.O; 2006.

Botfield JR, Newman CE, Zwi AB. Young people from culturally diverse backgrounds and their use of services for sexual and reproductive health needs: a structured scoping review. Sex Health. 2016;13(1):1–9. doi: 10.1071/SH15090 .

Henderson S, Kendall E. Culturally and linguistically diverse peoples’ knowledge of accessibility and utilisation of health services: exploring the need for improvement in health service delivery. Aust J Prim Health. 2011;17(2):195–201. doi: 10.1071/PY10065 .

Ussher JM, Rhyder-Obid M, Perz J, Rae M, Wong TWK, Newman P. Purity, privacy and procreation: constructions and experiences of sexual and reproductive health in Assyrian and Karen women living in Australia. Sex Cult. 2012;16(4):467–85. doi: 10.1007/s12119-012-9133-6 .

Manderson L, Allotey P. Storytelling, marginality, and community in Australia: how immigrants position their difference in health care settings. Med Anthropol. 2003;22(1):1–21. doi: 10.1080/01459740306767 .

McMichael C, Gifford S. “It is good to know now…before it’s too late”: promoting sexual health literacy amongst resettled young people with refugee backgrounds. Sex Cult. 2009;13(4):218–36. doi: 10.1007/s12119-009-9055-0 .

Carballo M, Nerukar A. Migration, refugees, and health risks. Emerg Infect Dis. 2001;7(Suppl 3):556–60.

Keygnaert I, Vettenburg N, Roelens K, Temmerman M. Sexual health is dead in my body: participatory assessment of sexual health determinants by refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants in Belgium and the Netherlands. BMC Public Health. 2014;14(1):1–13. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-14-416 .

McMichael C, Gifford S. Narratives of sexual health risk and protection amongst young people from refugee backgrounds in Melbourne, Australia. Cult Health Sex. 2010;12(3):263–77. doi: 10.1080/13691050903359265 .

de Anstiss H, Ziaian T. Mental health help-seeking and refugee adolescents: qualitative findings from a mixed-methods investigation. Aust Psychol. 2009:1–9. doi: 10.1080/00050060903262387 .

Benson J, Maldari T, Williams J, Hanifi H. The impact of culture and ethnicity on women’s perceived role in society and their attendant health beliefs. InnovAiT. 2010;3(6):358–65. doi: 10.1093/innovait/inp227 .

Ngum Chi Watts MC, Liamputtong P, Carolan M. Contraception knowledge and attitudes: truths and myths among African Australian teenage mothers in Greater Melbourne, Australia. J Clin Nurs. 2014;23(15–16):2131–41. doi: 10.1111/jocn.12335 .

Manderson L, Kelaher M, Woelz-Stirling N, Kaplan J, Greene K. Sex, contraception and contradiction among young Filipinas in Australia. Cult Health Sex. 2002;4(4):381–91. doi: 10.1080/1369105021000041034 .

Rawson H, Liamputtong P. Culture and sex education: the acquisition of sexual knowledge for a group of Vietnamese Australian young women. Ethn Health. 2010;15(4):343–64. doi: 10.1080/13557851003728264 .

Beck A, Majumdar A, Estcourt C, Petrak J. "We don’t really have cause to discuss these things, they don’t affect us": a collaborative model for developing culturally appropriate sexual health services with the Bangladeshi community of Tower Hamlets. Sex Transm Infect. 2005;81(2):158–62. doi: 10.1136/sti.2004.012195 .

Shoveller J, Chabot C, Soon JA, Levine M. Identifying barriers to emergency contraception use amount young women from various social groups in British Columbia, Canada. Perspect Sex Reprod Health. 2007;39:13–20.

Meldrum RM, Liamputtong P, Wollersheim D. Sexual health knowledge and needs: young Muslim women in Melbourne, Australia. Int J Health Serv. 2016;46(1):124–40. doi: 10.1177/0020731415615313 .

Ngum Chi Watts MC, McMichael C, Liamputtong P. Factors influencing contraception awareness and use: the experiences of young African Australian mothers. Refugee Stud. 2015;28(3):368–87. doi: 10.1093/jrs/feu040 .

Fenton KA. Strategies for improving sexual health in ethnic minorities. Curr Opin Infect Dis. 2001;14(1):63–9.

Kebede MT, Hilden PK, Middelthon A-L. Negotiated silence: the management of the self as a moral subject in young Ethiopian women’s discourse about sexuality. Sex Educ. 2014;14(6):666–78. doi: 10.1080/14681811.2014.924918 .

Rogers C, Earnest J. Sexual and reproductive health communication among Sudanese and Eritrean women: an exploratory study from Brisbane, Australia. Cult Health Sex. 2015;17(2):223–36. doi: 10.1080/13691058.2014.967302 .

Allotey P, Manderson L, Baho S, Demian L. Reproductive health for resettling refugee and migrant women. J Health Issues. 2004;78:12–7.

Guerin PB, Allotey P, Elmi FH, Baho S. Advocacy as a means to an end: assisting refugee women to take control of their reproductive health needs. Women Health. 2006;43(4):7–25. doi: 10.1300/J013v43n04_02 .

Richters J, Khoei EM. Concepts of sexuality and health among Iranian women in Australia. Aust Fam Physician. 2008;37(3):190–2.

Wray A, Ussher JM, Perz J. Constructions and experiences of sexual health among young, heterosexual, unmarried Muslim women immigrants in Australia. Cult Health Sex. 2013;16(1):76–89.

Gifford SM, Bakopanos C, Dawson M-T, Yesilyurt Z. Risking for protection: discourses around ‘safe sex’ among Chilean, Turkish and second-generation Greek women living in Melbourne, Australia. Ethn Health. 1998;3(1):95–116. doi: 10.1080/13557858.1998.9961852 .

Gagnon AJ, Merry L, Robinson C. A systematic review of refugee women’s reproductive health. Refuge. 2002;21(1):6–17.

Mcmullin JM, De Alba I, Chávez LR, Hubbell AF. Influence of beliefs about cervical cancer etiology on pap smear use among Latina immigrants. Ethn Health. 2005;10(1):3–18. doi: 10.1080/1355785052000323001 .

Salad J, Verdonk P, de Boer F, Abma TA. “A Somali girl is Muslim and does not have premarital sex. Is vaccination really necessary?” A qualitative study into the perceptions of Somali women in the Netherlands about the prevention of cervical cancer. Int J Equity Health. 2015;14(1):1–13. doi: 10.1186/s12939-015-0198-3 .

Levy V, Prentiss D, Balmas G, et al. Factors in the delayed HIV presentation of immigrants in Northern California: implications for voluntary counseling and testing programs. J Immigr Minor Health. 2007;9(1):49–54. doi: 10.1007/s10903-006-9015-9 .

Yakubu BD, Simkhada P, van Teijlingen E, Eboh W. Sexual health information and uptake of sexual health services by African women in Scotland: a pilot study. Int J Health Prom Educ. 2010;48(3):79–84. doi: 10.1080/14635240.2010.10708186 .

Rademakers J, Mouthaan I, de Neef M. Diversity in sexual health: problems and dilemmas. Eur J Contracept Reprod Health Care. 2005;10(4):207–11.

Kreuter MW, McClure SM. The role of culture in health communication. Annu Rev Public Health. 2004;25(1):439–55. doi: 10.1146/annurev.publhealth.25.101802.123000 .

Vissandjee B, Desmeules M, Cao Z, Abdool S, Kazanjian A. Integrating ethnicity and migration as determinants of Canadian women’s health. BMC Womens Health. 2004;4(Suppl 1):S32.

Garrett P, Dickson H, Whelan A, Whyte L. Representations and coverage of non-English-speaking immigrants and multicultural issues in three major Australian health care publications. Aust NZ Health Policy. 2010;7(1):1–13.

Tran M, Young L, Phung H, Hillman K, Willcocks K. Quality of health services and early postpartum discharge: results from a sample of non-English-speaking women. J Qual Clin Pract. 2001;21(4):135–43.

Tsianakas V, Liamputtong P. What women from an Islamic background in Australia say about care in pregnancy and prenatal testing. Midwifery. 2002;18(1):25–34.

Nguyen HN, Liamputtong P. Sex, love and gender norms: sexual life and experience of a group of young people in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Sex Health. 2007;4(1):63–9. doi: 10.1071/SH06023 .

Beiser M. The health of immigrants and refugees in Canada. Can J Public Health. 2005;96(Suppl 2):S30–44.

Browes NC. Comprehensive sexuality education, culture and gender: the effect of the cultural setting on a sexuality education programme in Ethiopia. Sex Educ. 2015;15(6):655–70. doi: 10.1080/14681811.2015.1065476 .

Dyck I. Travelling tales and migratory meanings: South Asian migrant women talk of place, health and healing. Soc Cult Geogr. 2006;7(1):1–18. doi: 10.1080/14649360500452772 .

Quelopana AM, Alcalde C. Exploring knowledge, belief and experiences in sexual and reproductive health in immigrant Hispanic women. J Immigr Minor Health. 2014;16(5):1001–6. doi: 10.1007/s10903-013-9807-7 .

Hach M. Common threads, common practice: working with immigrant and refugee women in sexual and reproductive health. Collingwood: Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health; 2012.

Kreuter MW, Lukwago SN, Bucholtz DC, Clark EM, Sanders-Thompson V. Achieving cultural appropriateness in health promotion programs: targeted and tailored approaches. Health Educ Behav. 2003;30(2):133–46. doi: 10.1177/1090198102251021 .

World Health Organisation. Developing sexual health programmes. Geneva: W.H.O; 2010.

Ussher JM, Perz J, Metusela C, et al. Negotiating discourses of shame, secrecy, and silence: migrant and refugee women’s experiences of sexual embodiment. Arch Sex Behav. 2017; doi: 10.1007/s10508-016-0898-9 .

Miles MB, Huberman AM. Qualitative data analysis: an expanded sourcebook. 2nd ed. Huberman AM, editor. Thousand Oaks: Sage; 1994.

Creswell JW. Research design. Qualitative, quantitative and mixed method approaches. London: Sage; 2009.

Lambert SD, Loiselle CG. Combining individual interviews and focus groups to enhance data richness. J Adv Nurs. 2008;62(2):228–37. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2007.04559.x .

Krueger RA. Focus groups: a practical guide for applied research. Thousand Oaks: Sage; 2014.

Burr V. Social constructionism. New York: Routledge; 2015.

Braun V, Clarke V. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qual Res Psychol. 2006;3:77–101.

Ussher JM, Perz J, Gilbert E. Perceived causes and consequences of sexual changes after cancer for women and men: a mixed method study. BMC Cancer. 2015;15(1):1–18. doi: 10.1186/s12885-015-1243-8 .

Rose G. Situating knowledges: positionality, reflexivities and other tactics. Prog Hum Geogr. 1997;21(3):305–20.

Al Omari O, Abdel Razeq NM, Fooladi MM. Experience of menarche among Jordanian adolescent girls: an interpretive phenomenological analysis. J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol. 2016;29(3):246–51. doi: 10.1016/j.jpag.2015.09.005 .

Cooper SC, Koch PB. “Nobody told me nothin”: communication about menstruation among low-income African American women. Women Health. 2007;46(1):57–78. doi: 10.1300/J013v46n01_05 .

Hawkey A, Ussher JM, Perz J, Metusela C. Experiences and constructions of menarche and menstruation across migrant and refugee women. Qual Health Res. 2016; doi: 10.1177/1049732316672639 .

Kissling EA. Bleeding out loud: communication about menstruation. Fem Psychol. 1996;6(4):481–504. doi: 10.1177/0959353596064002 .

Hawkey A, Ussher JM, Perz J. Regulation and resistance: experiences and constructions of premarital sexuality in the context of migrant and refugee women. J Sex Res. 2017; in press.

Helmer J, Senior K, Davison B, Vodic A. Improving sexual health for young people: making sexuality education a priority. Sex Educ. 2015;15(2):158–71. doi: 10.1080/14681811.2014.989201 .

Dean J, Mitchell M, Stewart D, Debattista J. Intergenerational variation in sexual health attitudes and beliefs among Sudanese refugee communities in Australia. Cult Health Sex. 2016;1–15. doi: 10.1080/13691058.2016.1184316 .

Martinez A, Phillips KP. Challenging ethno-cultural and sexual inequities: an intersectional feminist analysis of teachers, health partners and university students’ views on adolescent sexual and reproductive health rights. J Hum Sex. 2008;17(3):141–59.

Suphanchaimat R, Kantamaturapoj K, Putthasri W, Prakongsai P. Challenges in the provision of healthcare services for migrants: a systematic review through providers’ lens. BMC Health Serv Res. 2015;15(1):1–14. doi: 10.1186/s12913-015-1065-z .

Cleland J, Ali MM. Sexual abstinence, contraception, and condom use by young African women: a secondary analysis of survey data. Lancet. 2006;368(9549):1788–93. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(06)69738-9 .

Drummond PD, Mizan A, Brocx K, Wright B. Using peer education to increase sexual health knowledge among West African refugees in Western Australia. Health Care Women Int. 2011;32(3):190–205. doi: 10.1080/07399332.2010.529215 .

Sawade O. Lessons, challenges, and successes while working on the ‘Triangle’ of education, gender, and sexual and reproductive health. Gend Dev. 2014;22(1):127–40. doi: 10.1080/13552074.2014.889339 .

Ussher JM, Perz J, Metusela C, et al. Sexual and reproductive health of migrant and refugee women. Research report and recommendations for healthcare providers and community workers. Penrith, N.S.W: Western Sydney University; 2017. doi: 10.4225/35/59223a9b97acf .

Heard E, Auvaa L, Pickering C. Love bugs: promoting sexual health among young people in Samoa. Health Promot J Austr. 2015;26(1):30–2. doi: 10.1071/HE14055 .

McMillan K, Worth H. The impact of socio-cultural context on young people’s condom use: evidence from two Pacific Island countries. Cult Health Sex. 2011;13(3):313–26. doi: 10.1080/13691058.2010.529945 .

Maleku A, Aguirre RTP. Culturally competent health care from the immigrant lens: a qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis (QIMS). Soc Work Public Health. 2014;29(6):561–80. doi: 10.1080/19371918.2014.893417 .