Sex Workers' Experiences of Screening for Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract

Objective: To examine experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) screening among women who sell sex.

Design: A qualitative descriptive study.

Setting: Telephone interviews during the COVID-19 pandemic (June 2020 to October 2020).

Participants: Women aged 18 to 49 years who sold or traded sex for food, drugs, money, or shelter at least three times during the past 3 months before recruitment (N = 22).

Methods: We used individual, semistructured telephone interviews to collect data about participants' experiences with IPV and IPV screening during health care encounters. We used reflexive thematic analysis to examine these data.

Results: We identified two overarching themes related to IPV screening experiences: Preferences for IPV Screening and Barriers to Disclosure of IPV Experiences. Participants described a preference for IPV screening done face-to-face with providers who show a genuine interest in their responses. Stigma was a barrier of IPV disclosure.

Conclusion: Health care providers are a trusted safety net for disclosure of IPV experiences. Providing screening in a trauma-informed, nonstigmatizing manner may facilitate disclosure of IPV by women who sell sex. Future research among marginalized populations is needed to examine ways to address IPV in clinical settings with a harm reduction empowerment lens.

Keywords: intimate partner violence; preventive health services; qualitative; sex work.