Breaking Barriers: How Sexual Stigma Impacts Women's Health Care Seeking Behavior Through the Lens of Sexual Health Literacy

Introduction: This study aimed to examine the mediating role of sexual health literacy in the relationship between perceived stigma regarding sexual/reproductive health and readiness to seek sexual/reproductive health services among young women aged 18–24 living in Istanbul. Methods This quantitative, cross-sectional, and correlational study was conducted between June and November 2025 with 425 young women living in Istanbul using an online snowball sampling method. Data were collected using a Personal Information Form, the Sexual and Reproductive Health Stigmatization Scale in Young Women (SRHSSYW), the Sexual Health Literacy Scale (SHLS), and the Sexual and Reproductive Health Service Seeking Scale (SRHSS). Relationships were tested using Pearson correlations; mediation analyses were performed using a regression-based approach with the Hayes PROCESS Macro (Model 4; bootstrap = 5000). Results The mean age of the participants was 22.16 ± 1.77. Stigma negatively predicted sexual health literacy (B = − 1.688, SE=.155, p<.001; R²=.219), and sexual health literacy positively predicted service-seeking tendency (B=.234, SE=.021, p<.001). The overall effect of stigma on service-seeking tendency was significant (c = -0.793, SE = 0.076, p < .001). When the mediating variable was controlled, the direct effect decreased but remained significant (c′ = -0.398, SE = 0.076, p < .001). The indirect effect was significant (ab =- .395, BootSE = .053; 95% BootGA [− .498, − .295]), and the results indicated partial mediation. Conclusion The findings show that as stigma increases, sexual health literacy and service-seeking tendencies decrease; as sexual health literacy increases, service-seeking tendencies increase; and sexual health literacy plays a partial mediating role in the stigma-service-seeking relationship.