Discomfort Can Fuel Learning in Sexual and Reproductive Health Education, Study Finds

Students training to work in sexual and reproductive health and rights often encounter topics that make them uncomfortable, and a new qualitative study suggests that this discomfort, when handled within a trusted learning environment, can actually become a productive force for learning rather than an obstacle. The research, published in BMC Public Health, explored how an international cohort of master's level public health students experienced active learning in a course on sexual and reproductive health and rights at the Faculty of Medicine, Lund University in Sweden. The study was based on 11 in-depth interviews with students who had previously enrolled in the master's level course.

The analysis produced two sub-themes and one overarching theme. The sub-themes were described as co-creating a safe environment for active learning in sexual and reproductive health and rights, and managing challenges and catching opportunities for active learning in that same field. The overarching theme, considering self and others when engaging with uncomfortable dimensions of learning, captured the relational and reflective work students performed as they moved through difficult content.

According to the authors, the findings indicate that discomfort has the potential to be productive for active learning, but that this depends on the learning environment being intentionally curated by both facilitators and students into a space characterized by trust. In other words, discomfort was not automatically beneficial; it could support individual and collective learning when relational safety was established, but it could also become ethically and socially costly when that safety was absent. The study addresses a gap in the existing literature.

As the authors note in their key messages, learning about sexual and reproductive health and rights frequently involves engaging with topics considered sensitive within the broader social context, and such topics can generate discomfort that influences active learning. However, most research on discomfort and pedagogical strategies has drawn on the experiences of teachers and facilitators, while the perspectives of learners themselves have been understudied. By interviewing students directly, the study offers a view from the other side of the classroom.

The authors suggest that the findings offer pedagogical insights for educators by identifying teaching strategies that foster trust and relational safety. When such conditions are in place, the study concludes, discomfort can function as a resource rather than a barrier to active learning in sexual and reproductive health and rights education across contexts. As a qualitative study based on interviews with students from a single course at one university, the research describes the experiences of a specific cohort rather than establishing generalizable effects.

The authors published the article as an open access paper, and the version shared in September 2026 is subject to further edits before the final version of record is issued. The study was conducted as research within the journal's public health scope, and its conclusions are framed as indications and conceptual contributions rather than causal claims about teaching effectiveness. Building a shared sense of safety appears to be a joint project, one that requires deliberate effort from teachers and students alike.

Subject of Research: Students' experiences of discomfort and active learning in a master's level sexual and reproductive health and rights course

Article Title: Engaging with discomfort when learning sexual and reproductive health and rights. A qualitative content analysis of public health students’ experiences of active learning in an international master’s level course

Article References: Palm, C., Båge, K., Hillman, M., Pavlidou, A., & Herder, T. (2026). Engaging with discomfort when learning sexual and reproductive health and rights. A qualitative content analysis of public health students’ experiences of active learning in an international master’s level course. BMC Public Health, 26(1), Article 2702. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-026-29680-4

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12889-026-29680-4

Keywords: SRHR education, active learning, qualitative content analysis, discomfort, public health education, master's level course, Lund University, BMC Public Health, student interviews, learning environment, sensitive topics, pedagogy