Barriers to Accessing Sexual and Reproductive Health Services and Associated Mental Health Impacts Among Migrant Women in the UK: A Scoping Review.

Migrant, internally displaced, asylum-seeking, and refugee women in the United Kingdom experience ongoing risks of having their sexual and reproductive healthcare rights violated. This growing population also has limited access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, which may be associated with psychological distress. This scoping review was conducted to identify barriers to accessing SRH services and reported mental health experiences in this population. Following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines and the Arksey & O’Malley methodology, searches were conducted in six bibliographic databases, PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, and relevant gray literature to identify literature published after 2015. Of the 736 records screened, 27 met the inclusion criteria. Barriers to accessing SRH services included language and communication difficulties (59.2%), fear, mistrust, discrimination and stigma (55.5%), knowledge gaps and low health literacy (33.3%), structural and policy constraints (33.3%), financial barriers (33.3%), service delivery gaps (33.3%), and cultural or religious factors (29.6%). Maternity care was the most frequently studied setting (n = 17), with additional focus on primary care, family planning, sexual health, HIV, and hepatitis services. Many women reported stress, anxiety, fear, stigma, and isolation in response to these barriers. In several cases, barriers appeared to compound preexisting trauma and reduce trust. While 19 studies described these effects qualitatively, none of the 27 studies employed validated mental health measures, highlighting a major gap in the current evidence. Addressing this evidence gap is essential for developing equitable policies and trauma-informed care that meet the SRH needs of migrant women.