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The Impact of Violence, Perceived Stigma, and Other Work-Related Stressors on Depressive Symptoms Among Women Engaged in Sex Work

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Abstract

While the physical health risks of sex work have been well documented, fewer studies have explored mental health risks associated with sex work. This study examined rates of depressive symptoms and associated risk factors among women engaged in sex work in Mongolia (n = 222), a country experiencing significant economic and social development and where mental health infrastructure is in its infancy. A linear regression analysis indicated that significant risk factors for depressive symptoms included paying partner sexual violence, perceived occupational stigma, less social support, and higher harmful alcohol use. As one of the first studies to examine depression among sex workers, this study holds important social welfare implications for this marginalized population in Mongolia and other low-resource settings globally.

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Acknowledgement

The data were collected as a part of the NIAAA grant R21AA016286. Dr. Norcini Pala is supported by a NIMH training grant (T32-MH19139 Behavioral Sciences Research in HIV Infection; Principal Investigator: Theodorus Sandfort, PhD).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Columbia University, New York State Psychiatric Institute, 40 Haven Ave., Room 171, New York, NY, 10032, USA

    Catherine E. Carlson, Andrea Norcini Pala & Milton Wainberg

  2. Columbia University School of Social Work, New York, NY, USA

    Susan S. Witte

  3. College of Health and Human Services, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA

    Laura Cordisco Tsai

  4. WellSpring NGO, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

    Toivgoo Aira

Authors
  1. Catherine E. Carlson
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  2. Susan S. Witte
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  3. Andrea Norcini Pala
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  4. Laura Cordisco Tsai
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  5. Milton Wainberg
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  6. Toivgoo Aira
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Catherine E. Carlson.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interests.

None of the authors have been funded or affiliated with any of the study sites. The study used a secondary data that were collected as a part of the NIH.

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Carlson, C.E., Witte, S.S., Pala, A.N. et al. The Impact of Violence, Perceived Stigma, and Other Work-Related Stressors on Depressive Symptoms Among Women Engaged in Sex Work. Glob Soc Welf 4, 51–57 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40609-017-0085-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40609-017-0085-5

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