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Abstract

This research article reports on the results of thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews conducted with 10 key informants as part of a larger study about barriers to Asian migrant women’s sexual health. Thematic analysis was conducted with data to identify key themes about barriers to Asian women’s engagement with sexual health services in Australia. Key informants identified four core barriers: external cultural and relational influences, the internal beliefs of the women informants, professional health workers’ practices, and the health system service models. Key informants agreed that Asian women need time to build trust before discussing sexual topics with health workers predominantly due to lack of information and cultural shame. A cultural humility approach is advocated for health professionals and sexologists engaging Asian migrant women in sexual health services in Australia because Asian women’s sexual health context does not fit with time-restrictive models of health care.

Author Biography

Sandra Basham (ORCiD 0000-0001-9817-6554) completed doctoral studies at Curtin University researching barriers to Asian migrant women’s sexual health in Australia. Her Master’s degree is in Forensic Sexology, postgraduate in Counselling, and undergraduate in Education. She has worked for 20 years in sexual assault and trauma counselling, tertiary education, and couples counselling. She worked for 10 years at Tabor College Perth lecturing in Humanities and Social Sciences. She currently directs Hot Potatoes Consultancy Perth, where she consults with, educates and counsels culturally and religiously diverse clients. hotpotconsultacy@gmail.com

Dr Jaya Dantas (ORCiD 0000-0002-0625-4330) is Deputy Chair of the Curtin Academic Board, Dean International in the Faculty of Health Sciences, and Professor in the Curtin School of Population Health. She was Director of Graduate Research. For over 34 years, she has worked in India, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Australia, receiving a National Award for University Teaching. She is the current President of Australian Graduate Women and delegate to the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at the UN. She leads research in refugee and migrant health, teaches in the MPH program, and is a PhD supervisor. As a migrant woman in leadership, she has multidimensional lenses on teaching, research, leadership, diversity and gender.

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