Journal article
The mental health of female sex workers.
- Rössler W Department of General and Social Psychiatry, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland. roessler@dgsp.uzh.ch
- Koch U
- Lauber C
- Hass AK
- Altwegg M
- Ajdacic-Gross V
- Landolt K
- 2010-01-29
Published in:
- Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica. - 2010
Adolescent
Adult
Cross-Sectional Studies
Educational Status
Female
Health Surveys
Humans
Job Satisfaction
Mental Disorders
Middle Aged
Occupational Diseases
Risk Factors
Sex Work
Social Isolation
Social Support
Socioeconomic Factors
Switzerland
Violence
Young Adult
English
OBJECTIVE
There is limited information available about the mental health of female sex workers. Therefore, we aimed to make a comprehensive assessment of the mental status of female sex workers over different outdoors and indoors work settings and nationalities.
METHOD
As the prerequisites of a probability sampling were not given, a quota-sampling strategy was the best possible alternative. Sex workers were contacted at different locations in the city of Zurich. They were interviewed with a computerized version of the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Additional information was assessed in a structured face-to-face interview.
RESULTS
The 193 interviewed female sex workers displayed high rates of mental disorders. These mental disorders were related to violence and the subjectively perceived burden of sex work.
CONCLUSION
Sex work is a major public health problem. It has many faces, but ill mental health of sex workers is primarily related to different forms of violence.
There is limited information available about the mental health of female sex workers. Therefore, we aimed to make a comprehensive assessment of the mental status of female sex workers over different outdoors and indoors work settings and nationalities.
METHOD
As the prerequisites of a probability sampling were not given, a quota-sampling strategy was the best possible alternative. Sex workers were contacted at different locations in the city of Zurich. They were interviewed with a computerized version of the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Additional information was assessed in a structured face-to-face interview.
RESULTS
The 193 interviewed female sex workers displayed high rates of mental disorders. These mental disorders were related to violence and the subjectively perceived burden of sex work.
CONCLUSION
Sex work is a major public health problem. It has many faces, but ill mental health of sex workers is primarily related to different forms of violence.
- Language
-
- English
- Open access status
- closed
- Identifiers
-
- DOI 10.1111/j.1600-0447.2009.01533.x
- PMID 20105147
- Persistent URL
- https://sonar.ch/global/documents/75326
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