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Early developmental experiences of female sex workers : a comparative study Potter, Kathleen; Martin, Judy; Romans, Sarah E.

By: Contributor(s): Material type: ArticleArticlePublication details: 1999ISSN:
  • 0004-8674
Subject(s): In: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 33(6) December 1999 : 935-940Summary: This article examines the early childhood and family experiences of 29 of female sex workers in New Zealand. Participants originated from Dunedin and Wellington, and were recruited via the New Zealand Prostitutes Collective using the snowball method. The results were compared with data from the Otago Women's Child Sexual Abuse (OWCSA) study. More than 80% of the sample had at least one experience of physical violence before the age of 16 years, and in all but one of the cases the offender was a relative. Additionally, the participants were more likely than the sample of women from the OWSCA study to have experienced sexual abuse as a child. The sample of sex workers were also more likely to originate from a family characterised by discord and poor relationships, with the parents reported as less caring compared to the OWSCA sample. The authors acknowledge the limitations of the study, including the small sample size, the use of retrospective data, and the difficulty determining the representativeness of the findings.
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This article examines the early childhood and family experiences of 29 of female sex workers in New Zealand. Participants originated from Dunedin and Wellington, and were recruited via the New Zealand Prostitutes Collective using the snowball method. The results were compared with data from the Otago Women's Child Sexual Abuse (OWCSA) study. More than 80% of the sample had at least one experience of physical violence before the age of 16 years, and in all but one of the cases the offender was a relative. Additionally, the participants were more likely than the sample of women from the OWSCA study to have experienced sexual abuse as a child. The sample of sex workers were also more likely to originate from a family characterised by discord and poor relationships, with the parents reported as less caring compared to the OWSCA sample. The authors acknowledge the limitations of the study, including the small sample size, the use of retrospective data, and the difficulty determining the representativeness of the findings.

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 33(6) December 1999 : 935-940