Prevalence and characteristics of abuse experiences and depression symptoms among injection drug-using female sex workers in mexico

This mixed methods study examined the prevalence and characteristics of physical and sexual abuse and depression symptoms among 624 injection drug-using female sex workers (fsw-idus) in tijuana and ciudad juarez,mexico; a subset of 47 from tijuana also underwent qualitative interviews. linear regressions identified correlates of current depression symptoms. in the interviews,fsw-idus identified drug use as a method of coping with the trauma they experienced from abuse that occurred before and after age 18 and during the course of sex work. in a multivariate linear regression model,two factors - ever experiencing forced sex and forced sex in the context of sex work - were significantly associated with higher levels of depression symptoms. our findings suggest the need for integrated mental health and drug abuse services for fsw-idus addressing history of trauma as well as for further research on violence revictimization in the context of sex work in mexico. © 2013 monica d. ulibarri et al.