Contributors to posttraumatic stress symptoms in women sex workers.

Abstract

Previous research has demonstrated that women who sell sex (women sex workers [WSWs]) consistently report high levels of posttraumatic stress symptoms. The present study explores multiple factors that may contribute to the variation in WSWs' experiences of posttraumatic stress symptoms, including workers' racial identity, experiences of discrimination and control over their working conditions, the site of selling sex, and their clients' perceived sexual entitlement and violence. The study sample consisted of 314 self-identified WSWs. Online invitations to participate in a 30-min survey were sent to WSWs in the United States and Canada who advertise their services online on sites such as Facebook, the Erotic Review, and Backpages. The hypothesized structure of associations between the variables was tested using structural equation modeling. The model accounted for 68% of the variation in the traumatic stress reported, with direct and indirect effects for workers' racial identity, the site where they sell sex, and experiences of discrimination, especially by police. Clients' violence, on the contrary, was indirectly associated with traumatic stress, as violent clients were also significantly more likely to be perceived as sexually entitled, which, in turn, was the strongest predictor of higher traumatic stress. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).