"I'd Rather Be Broke Than Harmed": A Qualitative Analysis of the Experiences of People Engaged in Commercial Sex Work During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

IF 3 4区医学 Q2 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH Public Health Reports Pub Date : 2024-03-09 DOI:10.1177/00333549241236079

Rebecca Pfeffer, Kelle Barrick, Terri Galvan, Fleur Monnet Marfori, Shannon A Williams

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Abstract

Objectives: People involved in commercial sex work during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly those compelled to sell sex, faced multiple challenges to their safety and well-being. We explored, in real time, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people involved in commercial sex work and the broader commercial sex industry.

Methods: Using a participatory action research approach, we interviewed 159 English- and Spanish-speaking adults who had engaged in commercial sex work under the direction of a third party in Sacramento County, California, within the past 5 years (approximately 2017-2022). As part of a larger study, our interview protocol included 1 question about the COVID-19 pandemic: "Has COVID-19 changed anything about your experience with sex work?" We transcribed and analyzed interviews using QSR-NVivo, a qualitative coding software.

Results: Participants described the effects of increased isolation, decreased demand, difficulty accessing social services, fear of contracting COVID-19, difficulty in following public health guidance on social distancing and wearing face masks, and how the pandemic resulted in some people entering or exiting commercial sex work. Most participants were familiar with recommended public health safety measures, but lack of agency and financial need limited their ability to comply with all recommendations. A lack of access to social services added stress to those most in need of emergency housing or substance use treatment and left them vulnerable to continued abuse.

Conclusions: Stress and financial insecurity generally increased among people involved in commercial sex work during the pandemic, and no efforts were made to understand and mitigate the hardships that this population faced. Future research should address how to maintain social service availability during times of public health emergencies and other crises.

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"我宁愿破产也不愿受伤害"：对 COVID-19 大流行期间从事商业性工作人群经历的定性分析》。

目标：在 COVID-19 大流行期间，从事商业性性工作的人员，尤其是那些被迫从事性交易的人员，在安全和福祉方面面临着多重挑战。我们实时探讨了 COVID-19 大流行对商业性性工作从业者和更广泛的商业性性产业的影响：我们采用参与式行动研究方法，采访了 159 位讲英语和西班牙语的成年人，他们在过去 5 年内（约 2017-2022 年）在第三方的指导下在加利福尼亚州萨克拉门托县从事过商业性性工作。作为一项大型研究的一部分，我们的访谈协议包括一个有关 COVID-19 大流行的问题："COVID-19 是否改变了您的性工作经历？"我们使用定性编码软件 QSR-NVivo 对访谈进行了转录和分析：结果：参与者描述了孤立感增加、需求减少、难以获得社会服务、害怕感染 COVID-19、难以遵循公共卫生指南保持社交距离和佩戴口罩的影响，以及大流行如何导致一些人进入或退出商业性工作。大多数参与者都熟悉建议的公共卫生安全措施，但由于缺乏机构和经济需要，限制了他们遵守所有建议的能力。无法获得社会服务给那些最需要紧急住房或药物使用治疗的人增加了压力，使他们很容易继续受到虐待：结论：在大流行期间，从事商业性性工作的人群的压力和经济不安全感普遍增加，但人们并没有努力去了解和减轻这些人群所面临的困难。未来的研究应探讨如何在公共卫生突发事件和其他危机期间保持社会服务的可用性。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Public Health Reports 医学-公共卫生、环境卫生与职业卫生

CiteScore

5.00

自引率

6.10%

发文量

164

审稿时长

6-12 weeks

期刊介绍： Public Health Reports is the official journal of the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General and the U.S. Public Health Service and has been published since 1878. It is published bimonthly, plus supplement issues, through an official agreement with the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health. The journal is peer-reviewed and publishes original research and commentaries in the areas of public health practice and methodology, original research, public health law, and public health schools and teaching. Issues contain regular commentaries by the U.S. Surgeon General and executives of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health. The journal focuses upon such topics as tobacco control, teenage violence, occupational disease and injury, immunization, drug policy, lead screening, health disparities, and many other key and emerging public health issues. In addition to the six regular issues, PHR produces supplemental issues approximately 2-5 times per year which focus on specific topics that are of particular interest to our readership. The journal''s contributors are on the front line of public health and they present their work in a readable and accessible format.