The good, the bad, and the why: How do Arabic-speaking migrant men perceive and experience information and services related to sexual and reproductive health in Sweden?

Abstract

Although migrant men constitute a large and growing proportion of men in Sweden, literature exploring migrant men's experiences in sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services is scarce. We aimed to explore how Arabic-speaking migrant men perceive and experience information and services related to SRH in Sweden. We conducted 13 semi-structured interviews with Arabic-speaking migrant men and analysed the data using reflexive thematic analysis. We developed four themes: 1) SRH is ‘something essential in life’; 2) the good: a transition to a ‘new open society’; 3) the bad: barriers to sexual education and health services; and 4) the why: blaming oneself or the system. SRH services and sexual education/information were perceived as needs and rights, and the participants were content with the new possibilities and the ‘new open society’. However, sexual education was not provided to most migrants, and SRH services provided to men had shortcomings that deprived some migrant men from fulfilling their needs. Moreover, internalised and cultural racism created a challenge to receive adequate/acceptable SRH services. There is a need to provide comprehensive sexual education for all, strengthen SRH services provided to men, and develop an action plan to reinforce the anti-discrimination/racism policies in healthcare and society.