NCJ Number
231472
Journal
Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions Volume: 10 Issue: 2 Dated: April-June 2010 Pages: 115-138
Date Published
June 2010
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This study examined the experience of prostitution from the perspective of women involved and patterns of substance use.
Abstract
Little is known about the impact of prostitution involvement on women's substance use and recovery. Interpretive phenomenological data analysis was used to analyze transcribed, in-depth interviews conducted with 14 women recruited from a Midwestern program providing prostitution-specific services. Interviews focused on what it means to be a woman who has engaged in prostitution. Participants described patterns of using substances and exchanging sex as "going hand-in-hand," highlighting unique ways women understand the relationships between these phenomena and how they construct meaning. What emerges is a deeper understanding of the complexity and impact of these relationships, an issue not adequately addressed in existing literature. Table, figure, and references (Published Abstract)