Sexual health literacy and mental health in the context of language barriers: A case study of sub-Saharan African migrant women in Spain

Abstract

Mastery of the host country language is crucial for migrants to access health services and improve their mental health. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the impact of Spanish language proficiency on health literacy and mental health of sub-Saharan African migrant women in Spain. Using online, stratified sampling, 384 women aged 15 to 49 were recruited through social media platforms such as Facebook and Telegram. The research instruments included the CEFR (language proficiency), Masoumi et al. Sexual Health Literacy Questionnaire, and DASS-21 (mental health) questionnaires, which were translated into four languages (Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Swahili). The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The findings showed that Spanish proficiency had a positive and significant effect on sexual health literacy and mental health, and sexual health literacy played a mediating role in this relationship. The results suggest that language training programs can improve the mental health of this population by strengthening health literacy.