The Motivation and Mental Health of Sex Workers

Abstract

Commercial sex work presents specific mental health concerns. We aimed to study motivation for sex work and mental health issues in a sample of such women. We contacted 55 consenting women through organized brothels and interviewed them using the Farley questionnaire and screening items for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Eighty-two percent of the women had arrived illegally and had been "trafficked." All but 2 were engaged voluntarily in sex work. Seventeen percent met criteria for PTSD, and 19% were likely to be clinically depressed. We present representative case histories. Availability of mental health treatment for workers in the sex industry could improve compliance with HIV prevention programs and enlarge options for women to leave the sex industry. We observed that stereotypes of sex workers as either always having histories of childhood abuse or as being always "happy hookers" were incorrect.

Why and According to What Consultation Profiles Do Female Sex Workers Consult Health Care Professionals? A Study Conducted in Laval, Québec

“…Moreover, in keeping with earlier data Chudakov et al, 2002;Farley & Barkan, 1998), our study reveals that female sex workers frequently consult health professionals with regard to mental health and drug addiction problems. The sex trade is illegal and is conducted underground, thus making sex-trade workers extremely vulnerable to violence and aggression from clients, brothel keepers, or spouses, and to fear problems with the police and the justice system.…”

Shattering the Myth of Invulnerability: Exploring the Prevention Needs of Sexual Minority Women Living with HIV/AIDS

“…For example, several interviewees explained an aspect of drug and alcohol use and sex work particular to SWM: being forced to have sex with a man or a woman despite their sexual orientation or partner preference. The negative physical and emotional consequences of sex work, including violence, depression, and sexually transmitted infections, are well-documented globally (Chudakov, Ilan, Belmaker, & Cwikel, 2002;Miller, Lao, Wagner, & Korves, 2008), but the impact of having sex with a man for money when one would not normally engage in sexual relations with men is an additional and under-discussed physical and emotional health challenge for SMW sex workers. SMW like Kayla may not worry about sexual risks in their current relationship with a woman, but may fail to consider or recognize the risks that they brought into the relationship via sex work.…”

The Unanticipated Benefits of Behavioral Assessments and Interviews on Anxiety, Self-Esteem and Depression Among Women Engaging in Transactional Sex

“…Previous research has already suggested that patients' psychosocial needs are one of the underlying determinants of health, including STI/HIV prevention (Chudakov et al 2002;Sobel 1995). Women who are trading sex for drugs, money, or items of daily living are unlikely to have the means to pay for therapy.…”