Sex Workers' Experiences of Screening for Intimate Partner Violence.

Date
2024-03-12
Authors
Zemlak, Jessica L
Alexander, Kamila A
Wilson, Deborah
Singer, Randi
Williams, Joni S
Sherman, Susan G
Supervisor
Item type
Journal Article
Degree name
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To examine experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) screening among women who sell sex.

DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive study.

SETTING: Telephone interviews during the COVID-19 pandemic (June 2020 to October 2020).

PARTICIPANTS: Women aged 18 to 49 years who sold or traded sex for food, drugs, money, or shelter at least three times during the past 3 months before recruitment (N = 22).

METHODS: We used individual, semistructured telephone interviews to collect data about participants' experiences with IPV and IPV screening during health care encounters. We used reflexive thematic analysis to examine these data.

RESULTS: We identified two overarching themes related to IPV screening experiences: Preferences for IPV Screening and Barriers to Disclosure of IPV Experiences. Participants described a preference for IPV screening done face-to-face with providers who show a genuine interest in their responses. Stigma was a barrier of IPV disclosure.

CONCLUSION: Health care providers are a trusted safety net for disclosure of IPV experiences. Providing screening in a trauma-informed, nonstigmatizing manner may facilitate disclosure of IPV by women who sell sex. Future research among marginalized populations is needed to examine ways to address IPV in clinical settings with a harm reduction empowerment lens.

Description
Keywords
intimate partner violence , preventive health services , qualitative , sex work , 4203 Health Services and Systems , 42 Health Sciences , Violence Research , Prevention , Mental Health , Clinical Research , Health Services , Violence Against Women , 5 Gender Equality , 1110 Nursing , Nursing , 4204 Midwifery
Source
J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs, ISSN: 0884-2175 (Print); 1552-6909 (Online), Elsevier BV. doi: 10.1016/j.jogn.2024.02.005
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Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in (see Citation). Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. The definitive version was published in (see Citation). The original publication is available at (see Publisher's Version).