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Carr C, King LM, Maizel J, Scaglione NM, Stetten NE, Varnes JR, Tomko C. Strategies and Interventions Used to Prevent Violence Against Sex Workers in the United States: A Scoping Review Using the Social-Ecological Model. TRAUMA, VIOLENCE & ABUSE 2024; 25:2436-2451. [PMID: 38054440 DOI: 10.1177/15248380231214786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
Structural factors in the United States, such as criminalization, contribute to disproportionate rates of violence against sex workers and subsequent risk of adverse health outcomes. There is a clear need for systemic interventions and risk reduction strategies to reduce violence in this population. To inform next steps in prevention, this scoping review provides an overview of the literature on violence prevention efforts targeting sex workers in the United States, mapped out according to the social-ecological model (SEM). A comprehensive search of peer-reviewed literature across five databases with no limit on publication date yielded 2,372 documents. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they focused on the U.S. population of sex workers and had a clearly defined aim or purpose of exploring, describing, or evaluating sex work violence prevention interventions or risk reduction strategies. Twelve studies met all eligibility criteria and were selected. Only two of the studies evaluated sexual violence prevention interventions, while the remaining 10 explored strategies sex workers use to minimize the risk of violence. Most research focused on female sex workers, violence from paying clients, and prevention at the individual level of the SEM. Our findings suggest a need for additional violence prevention interventions tailored for diverse groups of sex workers and cognizant of the overlapping forms of violence they face. This scoping review contributes to the limited body of research on the prevention of violence against sex workers in the United States by providing future directions for research and program development that span across the SEM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cary Carr
- University of Florida, Gainesville, USA
| | | | - Jennifer Maizel
- University of Florida, Gainesville, USA
- Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA
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Logie CH, Newman PA, Admassu Z, MacKenzie F, Chakrapani V, Tepjan S, Shunmugam M, Akkakanjanasupar P. Associations between water insecurity and mental health outcomes among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer persons in Bangkok, Thailand and Mumbai, India: Cross-sectional survey findings. Glob Ment Health (Camb) 2024; 11:e31. [PMID: 38572259 PMCID: PMC10988155 DOI: 10.1017/gmh.2024.27] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2023] [Revised: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Water insecurity disproportionally affects socially marginalized populations and may harm mental health. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) persons are at the nexus of social marginalization and mental health disparities; however, they are understudied in water insecurity research. Yet LGBTQ persons likely have distinct water needs. We explored associations between water insecurity and mental health outcomes among LGBTQ adults in Mumbai, India and Bangkok, Thailand. Methods This cross-sectional survey with a sample of LGBTQ adults in Mumbai and Bangkok assessed associations between water insecurity and mental health outcomes, including anxiety symptoms, depression symptoms, loneliness, alcohol misuse, COVID-19 stress and resilience. We conducted multivariable logistic and linear regression analyses to examine associations between water insecurity and mental health outcomes. Results Water insecurity prevalence was 28.9% in Mumbai and 18.6% in Bangkok samples. In adjusted analyses, in both sites, water insecurity was associated with higher likelihood of depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, COVID-19 stress, alcohol misuse and loneliness. In Mumbai, water insecurity was also associated with reduced resilience. Conclusion Water insecurity was common among LGBTQ participants in Bangkok and Mumbai and associated with poorer well-being. Findings signal the importance of assessing water security as a stressor harmful to LGBTQ mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen H. Logie
- Factor Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment, and Health, Hamilton, ON, Canada
- Women’s College Research Institute, Women’s College Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Centre for Gender & Sexual Health Equity, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Peter A. Newman
- Factor Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Zerihun Admassu
- Factor Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Frannie MacKenzie
- Factor Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | | | - Murali Shunmugam
- Centre for Sexuality and Health Research and Policy (C-SHaRP), Chennai, India
| | - Pakorn Akkakanjanasupar
- Department of Educational Policy, Management, and Leadership, Faculty of Education, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
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Brooks SK, Patel SS, Greenberg N. Struggling, Forgotten, and Under Pressure: A Scoping Review of Experiences of Sex Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2023; 52:1969-2010. [PMID: 37311934 PMCID: PMC10263380 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-023-02633-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly affected physical, mental, and economic well-being across the globe and has disproportionately affected certain vulnerable groups. This paper provides a scoping review of literature on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sex workers, published between December 2019 and December 2022. Six databases were systematically searched, identifying 1009 citations; 63 studies were included in the review. Thematic analysis revealed eight main themes: financial issues; exposure to harm; alternate ways of working; COVID-19 knowledge, protective behaviors, fear, and risk; well-being, mental health, and coping; access to support; access to health care; and the impact of COVID-19 on research with sex workers. COVID-associated restrictions led to reduced work and income, leaving many sex workers struggling to cover basic needs; additionally, government protections excluded those working in the informal economy. Fearing the loss of their already reduced number of clients, many felt compelled to compromise both prices and protective measures. Although some engaged in online sex work, this raised concerns about visibility and was impossible for those without technological access or skills. Many feared COVID-19, but felt pressure to continue working, often with clients who refused to wear masks or share exposure history. Other negative impacts on well-being related to the pandemic included reduced access to financial support or health care. Marginalized populations (and especially those in professions which require close contact like sex workers) need further support and capacity-building within the community to recover from the impact of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha K Brooks
- Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College London, Weston Education Centre, London, SE5 9RJ, UK.
| | - Sonny S Patel
- Transcultural Conflict and Violence Initiative, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Neil Greenberg
- Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College London, Weston Education Centre, London, SE5 9RJ, UK
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Kong JD, Akpudo UE, Effoduh JO, Bragazzi NL. Leveraging Responsible, Explainable, and Local Artificial Intelligence Solutions for Clinical Public Health in the Global South. Healthcare (Basel) 2023; 11:healthcare11040457. [PMID: 36832991 PMCID: PMC9956248 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare11040457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
In the present paper, we will explore how artificial intelligence (AI) and big data analytics (BDA) can help address clinical public and global health needs in the Global South, leveraging and capitalizing on our experience with the "Africa-Canada Artificial Intelligence and Data Innovation Consortium" (ACADIC) Project in the Global South, and focusing on the ethical and regulatory challenges we had to face. "Clinical public health" can be defined as an interdisciplinary field, at the intersection of clinical medicine and public health, whilst "clinical global health" is the practice of clinical public health with a special focus on health issue management in resource-limited settings and contexts, including the Global South. As such, clinical public and global health represent vital approaches, instrumental in (i) applying a community/population perspective to clinical practice as well as a clinical lens to community/population health, (ii) identifying health needs both at the individual and community/population levels, (iii) systematically addressing the determinants of health, including the social and structural ones, (iv) reaching the goals of population's health and well-being, especially of socially vulnerable, underserved communities, (v) better coordinating and integrating the delivery of healthcare provisions, (vi) strengthening health promotion, health protection, and health equity, and (vii) closing gender inequality and other (ethnic and socio-economic) disparities and gaps. Clinical public and global health are called to respond to the more pressing healthcare needs and challenges of our contemporary society, for which AI and BDA can help unlock new options and perspectives. In the aftermath of the still ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the future trend of AI and BDA in the healthcare field will be devoted to building a more healthy, resilient society, able to face several challenges arising from globally networked hyper-risks, including ageing, multimorbidity, chronic disease accumulation, and climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jude Dzevela Kong
- Laboratory for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (LIAM), Department of Mathematics and Statistics, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
- Africa-Canada Artificial Intelligence and Data Innovation Consortium (ACADIC), York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
- Global South Artificial Intelligence for Pandemic and Epidemic Preparedness and Response Network (AI4PEP), York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
- Correspondence: (J.D.K.); (N.L.B.)
| | - Ugochukwu Ejike Akpudo
- Africa-Canada Artificial Intelligence and Data Innovation Consortium (ACADIC), York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Jake Okechukwu Effoduh
- Africa-Canada Artificial Intelligence and Data Innovation Consortium (ACADIC), York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
- Global South Artificial Intelligence for Pandemic and Epidemic Preparedness and Response Network (AI4PEP), York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Nicola Luigi Bragazzi
- Laboratory for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (LIAM), Department of Mathematics and Statistics, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
- Africa-Canada Artificial Intelligence and Data Innovation Consortium (ACADIC), York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
- Global South Artificial Intelligence for Pandemic and Epidemic Preparedness and Response Network (AI4PEP), York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
- Correspondence: (J.D.K.); (N.L.B.)
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