scholarly journals Women Trading Sex in a U.S.-Mexico Border City: A Qualitative Study of the Barriers and Facilitators to Finding Community and Voice

Sexes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Claudia Gonzalez ◽  
Kimberly C. Brouwer ◽  
Elizabeth Reed ◽  
Melanie J. Nicholls ◽  
Jessica Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Human Trafficking ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Or Education ◽  
Sex Trade ◽  
Structural Support

Poverty and income inequality can increase a woman’s decision to engage in risky transactional sex, and may lead to unimaginable harms, such as violence, substance use, and human trafficking. This study examines the facilitators and barriers to finding community and voice among women trading sex in Tijuana, Mexico, and what factors, such as socio-structural support, violence, and substance use, may impact their potential to engage with others, including human service providers. Sixty qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with women trading sex in Tijuana, Mexico. Researchers met with participants for in-depth-face-to-face structured interviews. Data were coded using ATLAS.ti. Participants were aged 19–73 (mean: 37), 98% were of Mexican nationality, 90% reported trading sex independent of the control of others, with 58% identified as independent and street-based. Thirty percent of women trading sex reported substance use (excluding marijuana) and 20% reported injection drug use within 30 days. The majority reported no involvement in mobilization activities, but 85% expressed interest. However, barriers included stigma, cultural gender norms, partner violence, and privacy in regards to disclosure of sex trade involvement, moral conflict (revealing one’s involvement in sex trade), involvement in substance use, human trafficking, and feeling powerless. Facilitators were having a safe space to meet, peer support, self-esteem, feeling heard, knowledge of rights, economic need to support families, and staying healthy. Findings imply the potential to go beyond mobilizing limited groups of women in the sex trade and instead involve whole community mobilization; that is, to reach and include the more vulnerable women (substance use, trafficked) in supportive services (social services, exit strategies, better healthcare opportunities, and/or education for healthcare providers to help break societal stigmas regarding women in the sex trade) and to change the status of women in society in general.

scholarly journals Evaluating interventions with victims of intimate partner violence: a community psychology approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cinzia Albanesi ◽  
Carlo Tomasetto ◽  
Veronica Guardabassi
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Purpose Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is one of the most common forms of domestic violence, with profound implication for women's physical and psychological health. In this text we adopted the Empowerment Process Model (EPM) by Cattaneo and Goodman (Psychol Violence 5(1):84–94) to analyse interventions provided to victims of IPV by a Support Centre for Women (SCW) in Italy, and understand its contribution to women’s empowerment. Method We conducted semi-structured interviews with ten women who had been enrolled in a program for IPV survivors at a SCW in the past three years. The interviews focused on the programs’ aims, actions undertaken to reach them, and the impact on the women’s lives, and were analysed using an interpretative phenomenological approach. Results Results showed that the interventions provided by the SWC were adapted according to women's needs. In the early phases, women’s primary aim was ending violence, and the intervention by the SCW was deemed as helpful to the extent it provided psychological support, protection and safe housing. Women’s aims subsequently moved to self-actualisation and economic and personal independence which required professional training, internships, and social support. Although satisfying the majority of the women’s expectations, other important needs (e.g., economic support or legal services) were poorly addressed, and cooperation with other services (e.g., police or social services) was sometimes deemed as critical. Conclusions By evaluating a program offered by a SCW to IPV survivors through the lens of the EPM model, we found that women deemed the program as effective when both individual resources and empowerment processes were promoted. Strengths, limitations and implications are discussed.

Substance Use as a Coping Mechanism for Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence: Implications for Safety and Service Accessibility

2019 ◽  
pp. 107780121988249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay B. Gezinski ◽  
Kwynn M. Gonzalez-Pons ◽  
Mallory M. Rogers
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Service Accessibility ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Post Traumatic

This study examined substance use disorder (SUD) and mental health (MH) among survivors of intimate partner violence, with data collected from 102 participants. Both survivors and service providers emphasized SUD and MH as top priorities and reported a high prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem coupled with increasing rates of heroin, methamphetamine, and pharmaceutical abuse. Emergent themes included (a) trauma impacts functioning, (b) substances as coping strategy, (c) weighing safety against need, (d) lacking SUD and MH services, and (e) need for comprehensive and culturally specific resources. Scarcity of funding demands cross-sector collaboration to support survivors.

scholarly journals How Social Relationships Influence Substance Use Disorder Recovery: A Collaborative Narrative Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 117822181983337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henning Pettersen ◽  
Anne Landheim ◽  
Ivar Skeie ◽  
Stian Biong ◽  
Morten Brodahl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Substance Use Disorder ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Support Network ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Narrative Study ◽  
Study Planning ◽  
Caring Relationship

Individuals with a substance use disorder (SUD) often have fewer social support network resources than those without SUDs. This qualitative study examined the role of social relationships in achieving and maintaining stable recovery after many years of SUD. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 participants, each of whom had been diagnosed with a SUD and each of whom had been abstinent for at least 5 years. A resource group of peer consultants in long-term recovery from SUDs contributed to the study planning, preparation, and initial analyses. The relationship that most participants described as helpful for initiating abstinence was recognition by a peer or a caring relationship with a service provider or sibling. These findings suggest that, to reach and maintain abstinence, it is important to maintain positive relationships and to engage self-agency to protect oneself from the influences of negative relationships. Substance use disorder service providers should increase the extent to which they involve the social networks of clients when designing new treatment approaches. Service providers should also focus more on individualizing services to meet their clients on a personal level, without neglecting professionalism or treatment strategies.

scholarly journals How Adolescents, Mothers, and Fathers Qualitatively Describe Their Experiences of Co-Occurrent Problems: Intimate Partner Violence, Mental Health, and Substance Use

2020 ◽  
pp. 088626051990096 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geneviève Lessard ◽  
Sylvie Lévesque ◽  
Chantal Lavergne ◽  
Annie Dumont ◽  
Pamela Alvarez-Lizotte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Mothers And Fathers ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Content Analysis Method

This qualitative study examines the perceptions of mothers, fathers, and adolescents on the relations they see between intimate partner violence, mental health and substances use parental problems that co-occur in their family, and the mothers’ and fathers’ associated parenting challenges. The sample was composed of 43 people (15 mothers, 16 fathers, and 12 adolescents) who were directly affected by the co-occurrence of intimate partner violence and mental health or substances use parental problems. The participants were recruited with the collaboration of public and community organizations in the Province of Québec (Canada). The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and combined with a table detailing the specific problems identified by the participants. A thematic content analysis method was employed to do the coding, and a summary of the results was returned to some participants who agreed to collaborate with the validation of the results. The analysis revealed numerous and diverse relations between the interviewees’ co-occurring problems, but two principal patterns emerged. The first one was chiefly observed in the comments made by mothers and adolescents who saw the co-occurring problems as being the consequence of the intimate partner violence on the mother. The second pattern was largely observed in the fathers’ comments, who explained that the substance use problems came before the intimate partner violence and acted as an aggravating factor. The co-occurrence of intimate partner violence with other parental problems strongly affected the mothers’ and fathers’ parenting, making it more difficult to meet the children’s needs. Considering the complexity and diversity of the experiences and needs of the mothers, fathers, and children in co-occurring situations, future studies should evaluate the services provided to these families and the coordination between the different concerned organizations.

Intersections of Race, Ethnicity, and Gender

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 643-665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eryn Nicole O’Neal ◽  
Laura O. Beckman
Keyword(s):  
Social Services ◽  
Race And Ethnicity ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Cultural Barriers ◽  
Underdeveloped Area ◽  
Race Ethnicity ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Ethnicity And Gender ◽  
Legal Barriers

Using an intersectional framework, this article discusses the barriers to social services that Latina victims of intimate partner violence encounter, a drastically underdeveloped area of theorizing. We argue that placing Latinas at the center of analysis will facilitate empirical knowledge, which is necessary because mainstream inquiry has historically ignored their interests. First, we discuss cultural barriers through the lenses of gender, race, and ethnicity. Second, we describe socioeconomic barriers in conjunction with gender, race, and ethnicity. Third, we examine legal barriers along with the representation of gender, race, and ethnicity. Finally, we suggest directions for research and recommendations for service providers.

Human Trafficking

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nisha Verma ◽  
Celeste S Royce
Keyword(s):  
Human Trafficking ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Sex Trafficking ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Health Clinics ◽  
Trauma Informed Care ◽  
Trauma Informed ◽  
The Many ◽  
Modern Day Slavery

Human sex trafficking, often referred to as modern-day slavery, is a major global human rights problem with at least 4.5 million people trafficked for commercial sex annually. Many of these women interface with the medical system regularly, often in women’s health clinics and the emergency departments. Therefore, it is important for healthcare providers to be able to identify red flags for human trafficking, to be able to screen effectively, and to know how to connect patients with resources in the community. It is also important for healthcare providers to be aware of the many long-term health effects related to sexual trauma that victims of human trafficking may develop. OBGYNs are able to have long-lasting impacts on the many survivors of human sex trafficking by screening effectively and providing compassionate, trauma-informed care. This review contains 4 figures, and 3 tables, and 40 references. Keywords:  Sexual assault, sexual violence, Intimate partner violence, Human trafficking, Rape, Trauma-informed care, Women, Primary Care, Obstetrics and Gynecology.

A Postcolonial Discourse Analysis of Community Stakeholders’ Perspectives on Supporting Urban Indigenous Older Adults to Age Well in Ottawa, Canada

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren A. Brooks-Cleator ◽  
Audrey R. Giles
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Indigenous Health ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Health And Social Services ◽  
Community Stakeholders ◽  
Postcolonial Discourse

The urban Indigenous older adult population in Canada continues to grow; however, there is a lack of understanding of how non-Indigenous health and social services and Indigenous-specific organizations are responding to and addressing the growth of this population. Therefore, in this research, we conducted a postcolonial discourse analysis of semi-structured interviews with six decision-makers (e.g., managers and directors of health and social services organizations) and seven service providers (e.g., program coordinators and social workers) from Indigenous and non-Indigenous health and social service organizations in Ottawa, Canada, to examine how they produce understandings of supporting urban Indigenous older adults to age well. The participants produced three main discourses: (a) non-Indigenous organizations have a responsibility to support Indigenous older adults, (b) culturally specific programs and services are important for supporting Indigenous older adults to age well, and (c) it is difficult for community stakeholders to support Indigenous older adults to age well because this population is hard to reach. The results demonstrate the complexities and tensions that community stakeholders face in supporting Indigenous older adults to age well within a sociopolitical environment informed by reconciliation and a sociodemographic trend of an aging population.

“I am a healthcare practitioner”: A qualitative exploration of massage therapists’ professional identity

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Baskwill ◽  
Meredith Vanstone ◽  
Del Harnish ◽  
Kelly Dore
Keyword(s):  
Professional Identity ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Patient Empowerment ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Qualitative Description ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Massage Therapist ◽  
Individualized Care ◽  
Massage Therapists

AbstractBackgroundA division has been described among massage therapists, some who identify as healthcare providers while others identify as service providers. The perceived division creates confusion about what it means to be a massage therapist.ObjectiveThis qualitative study answered, “How do massage therapists in Ontario describe their professional identity?”MethodsQualitative description (QD) was used and data were collected from 33 massage therapists using semi-structured interviews.ResultsThe resulting description of massage therapists’ identity in Ontario is the first of its kind. The identity described includes passion as professional motivation in practice, the importance of confidence and competence, a focus on the therapeutic relationship, individualized care, and patient empowerment, and a desire to be recognized for their role within the healthcare system.ConclusionThere is still much to be investigated about massage therapists’ identity. Future research will explore whether this description resonates with a larger sample of massage therapists in Ontario.

scholarly journals Interpersonal and structural complexities among women experiencing homelessness in a U.S.-Mexico border community

2021 ◽  
pp. 13-38
Author(s):  
Lourdes M. Perez ◽  
◽  
Eva María Moya ◽  
Yok-Fong Paat ◽  
Maissa Khatib ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Human Service ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
El Paso ◽  
Childhood Experiences ◽  
Human Service Providers ◽  
Adverse Experiences ◽  
Mexico Border

The life complexities of women experiencing homelessness warrants further exploration as there is insufficient information on their life’s interpersonal and structural challenges. The aim of this study is multifold: to explore the experiences of unhoused women in El Paso, Texas, a city that borders with Ciudad Juarez Mexico, to identify barriers to health and social services, to promote agency, and improve access to care. Recruitment of participants was done through partner agencies in selecting a sample of 15 Hispanic and 15 Non-Hispanic women who were experiencing homelessness and residing in local shelters in the spring of 2019. The Beck Depression Inventory II, General Self-Efficacy (GSE), and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) scales were administered to enhance understanding and knowledge on the characteristics of women with a lived experience of homelessness to learn about their interpersonal and adverse experiences and future outlook. Feminist perspective was employed as part of the theoretical framework to further explore the interpersonal and structural realities of women experiencing homelessness. Three major themes emerged: relational adversity and intimate partner violence; lack of social support; and challenges related to transitioning out of homelessness. Implications highlighted in the findings will inform health and human service providers, and decision makers about the needs of women and the importance of person-centered carer for this population. It is critical that social workers, human service practitioners, policy makers, researchers, and the general public pause, listen and understand the realities that women experiencing homelessness face and their resiliency to ensure quality services to support them transition and end homelessness.

scholarly journals The Trafficking Continuum: Service Providers’ Perspectives on Vulnerability, Exploitation, and Trafficking

Affilia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 116-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corinne Schwarz ◽  
Daniel Alvord ◽  
Dorothy Daley ◽  
Megha Ramaswamy ◽  
Emily Rauscher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Human Trafficking ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Sex Trafficking ◽  
Kansas City ◽  
Risk Model ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Labor Exploitation ◽  
A Chain

Much of the research on human trafficking focuses on the prosecution of traffickers and protection of survivors after the crime has occurred. Less is known about the social disparities that make someone vulnerable to trafficking. This project examines human trafficking from a preventive focus, using data from a case study of service providers working with at-risk populations in the Kansas City, MO-KS area. The research team conducted 42 in-depth interviews with service providers working in the medical, educational, legal, and social services sectors from 2013 to 2016. Participants identified risk factors that could make someone vulnerable to labor or sexual exploitation. These factors clustered into four key areas: economic insecurity, housing insecurity, education, and migration. The research findings also suggest that human trafficking may be driven by an accumulation of risk factors that move vulnerable persons closer to labor exploitation and sex trafficking, fitting with a chain-of-risk model. We propose a model that reconceives of trafficking as a continuum that includes a range of vulnerabilities, violence, and traumas. In order to address human trafficking, policy makers and advocates need to focus on upstream prevention factors to address vulnerabilities that can lead to sex and labor exploitation.

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