Drug use in street sex workers (DUSSK) study: Results of a mixed methods feasibility study of a complex intervention to reduce illicit drug use in drug dependent female sex workers
Participants received targeted PTSD screening then treatment with EMDR to reduce illicit drug use in drug dependent female sex workers.
Article Abstract
“Objectives: The majority of female street-based sex workers (SSWs) are dependent on illicit drugs and sell sex to fund their drug use. They typically face multiple traumatic experiences, starting at a young age, which continue through sex work involvement. Their trauma-related symptoms tend to increase when drug use is reduced, hindering sustained reduction. Providing specialist trauma care to address post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) alongside drug treatment may therefore improve treatment outcomes. Aims to (1) evaluate recruitment and retention of participants; (2) examine intervention experiences and acceptability; and (3) explore intervention costs using a mixed methods feasibility study.
Setting: Female SSW charity premises in a large UK inner city.
Participants: Females aged 18 years or older, who have sold sex on the street and used heroin and/or crack cocaine at least once a week in the last calendar month.
Intervention: Female SSW-only drug treatment groups in a female SSW-only setting delivered by female staff. Targeted PTSD screening then treatment of positive diagnoses with eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy by female staff from a specialist National Health Service trauma service.
Results: (1) Of 125 contacts, 11 met inclusion criteria and provided informed consent, 4 reached the intervention final stage, (2) service providers said working in collaboration with other services was valuable, the intervention was worthwhile and had a positive influence on participants. Participants viewed recruitment as acceptable and experienced the intervention positively. The unsettled nature of participant’s lives was a key attendance barrier. (3) The total cost of the intervention was £11 710, with staff costs dominating.
Conclusions: Recruitment and retention rates reflected study inclusion criteria targeting women with the most complex needs. Two participants received EMDR demonstrating that the three agencies working together was feasible. Staff heavy costs highlight the importance of supporting participant attendance to minimise per participant costs in a future trial.”
—Description from publisher
Article Access
Open Access
Patel, R., Redmond, N. M., Kesten, J. M., Linton, M.-J., Horwood, J., Wilcox, D., Munafo, J., Coast, J., Macleod, J., & Jeal, N. (2020). Drug use in street sex workers (DUSSK) study: Results of a mixed methods feasibility study of a complex intervention to reduce illicit drug use in drug dependent female sex workers. British Medical Journal Open, 10(12), Open access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-036491
Date
December 15, 2020
Creator(s)
Rita Patel, Niamh M Redmond, Joanna M Kesten
Contributor(s)
Myles-Jay Linton, Jeremy Horwood, David Wilcox, Jess Munafo, Joanna Coast, John Macleod, Nicola Jeal
Topics
Addictions, Sexual Trauma
Extent
14 pages
Publisher
BMJ
Rights
© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
APA Citation
Patel, R., Redmond, N. M., Kesten, J. M., Linton, M.-J., Horwood, J., Wilcox, D., & . . . Jeal, N. (2020). Drug use in street sex workers (DUSSK) study: Results of a mixed methods feasibility study of a complex intervention to reduce illicit drug use in drug dependent female sex workers. British Medical Journal Open, 10(12), Open access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-036491
Audience
EMDR Therapists, Other Mental Health Professionals
Language
English
Content Type
Article, Peer-Reviewed
Access Type
External Resource, Open Access