Men of refugee and migrant backgrounds resettled in Australia: A scoping review of sexual and reproductive health research

Abstract

Background Australia’s National Men’s Health Strategy 2020–2030 identifies men from refugee and migrant backgrounds as priority groups for sexual and reproductive health (SRH) interventions due to their high risk of poor outcomes. Given the traditional focus of SRH research on women, the lack of SRH research focusing on refugee and migrant men is a significant gap to guide implementation of the strategy and future research into this topic. To provide a foundation for rectifying this omission, this review aimed to synthesise the available evidence on refugee and migrant men’s SRH needs, understanding, and experiences of accessing services after resettlement in Australia. Methods We conducted a systematic search of peer reviewed literature in PubMed, Scopus, PsyInfo and Embase. A WHO framework for operationalising sexual health and its relationship with reproductive health was used to map the identified studies. The socio-ecological framework was applied to thematically synthesise data extracted from individual studies and identify factors that influence the SRH of refugee and migrant men. Results We identified and included 38 papers (24 sexual health, 5 reproductive health, 3 intimate relationships, 2 cancer and 4 ‘other’). The majority of sexual health studies (16) were about sexually transmitted infections (STIs), mainly HIV (12), Hepatitis B (3), and safe sexual practices (1). Reproductive health studies focused on contraceptive counselling and provision (3), antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal care (1) and safe abortion care (1). We also identified several factors influencing refugee and migrant men’s SRH including a lack of access to SRH information at the individual level, language and communication barriers at the interpersonal level and stigma at the community level. Conclusions This review indicates that the SRH literature on refugee and migrant men lacks perspectives beyond STIs. The literature does not frame SRH as a human right rather follows a risk-based biomedical approach of health care keeping important aspects of SRH, such as gender-based violence and sexual pleasure, out of health services research. These identified gaps should be addressed to develop effective, equitable and gender sensitive SRH programs for refugee and migrant men in Australia.