Sex work is a high-risk occupation for mental health problems as sex workers are vulnerable to high rates of violence, sexual
coercion, stigma and HIV.
Aim: To determine the prevalence of
depressive and anxiety symptoms and substance use in sex workers.Method: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey of all men and women attending the Sisonke health initiative, a non-profit non-governmental organisation (
NGO), for sex workers was conducted over three months. A socio-demographic questionnaire, the Self Reporting Questionnaire (
SRQ 20), the Patient Health Questionnaire (
PHQ 9) and the WHO Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST
V3.0) were administered.
Results: A total of
155 participants were surveyed. The prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms on the SRQ 20 and PHQ 9 total scores were 78.4% and 80.9% respectively. Some 40% of sex workers reported suicidal
ideation in the year preceding the study. High rates of violence (n =
112, 72%) and childhood abuse (n =
107, 69%) were reported. The prevalence of HIV was 76.1%. The lifetime prevalence of substance use for nicotine (
87.8%), alcohol (87.8%) and cannabis (87.7%) was high. Despite the high prevalence of psychiatric symptoms reported,
only 15 (
9.7%) participants were receiving psychiatric treatment at the time of the survey.
Sex worker is a difficult job with lots of
problems involved
brings pain to
family's and loved ones