| Autor: |
Gunn JK; Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, Epidemiology and Biostatistics Division, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA., Roth AM; Department of Community Health and Prevention, Drexel School of Public Health, 3215 Market Street, Room 435, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA. alexisroth@drexel.edu., Center KE; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA., Wiehe SE; Division of Children's Health Services Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA. |
| Abstrakt: |
Women engaging in transactional sex have disproportional mental health co-morbidity and face substantial barriers to accessing social services. We hypothesized that participation in a longitudinal research study, with no overt intervention, would lead to short-term mental health improvements. For 4-weeks, 24 women disclosed information about their lives via twice daily cell-phone diaries and weekly interviews. We used t tests to compare self-esteem, anxiety, and depression at baseline and exit. Tests were repeated for hypothesized effect modifiers (e.g., substance abuse severity; age of sex work debut). For particularly vulnerable women (e.g., less educated, histories of abuse, younger initiation of sex work) participation in research conferred unanticipated mental health benefits. Positive interactions with researchers, as well as discussing lived experiences, may explain these effects. Additional studies are needed to confirm findings and identify mechanisms of change. This work contributes to the growing body of literature documenting that study participation improves mental health. |
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