title: "Wear Some Thick Socks If You Walk in My Shoes": Agency, Resilience, and Well-Being in Communities of North American Sex Workers.
abstract: Using a participatory action research (PAR) paradigm, this study investigated how 35 individuals involved in the sex work industry exemplified aspects of agency and intentional well-being under harsh work environments. Using PAR and qualitative research, sex workers were asked to identify research questions and help to design a study investigating the relationship between well-being and sex worker agency. Participants in the study each completed one semi-structured individual interview to share their experiences in the sex work industry. Data from these interviews were analyzed using constructivist phenomenology; standards of trustworthiness were accounted for using multiple tools. Four themes emerged from the data that described how the participants understood their own resilience and areas of needed attention with respect to their mental health: (1) validating sex work and eliminating whorephobic oppression; (2) safety and mobility within practice environments; (3) sexual boundary setting; and (4) social support for sex workers. Implications of the findings on theory, research, practice, and advocacy are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Psychology Programs, Antioch University, 400 Corporate Pointe, Culver City, CA, 90230, USA. tburnes@antioch.edu.|Research and Quality Assurance for the Counseling Center, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA. tburnes@antioch.edu.
authors.forename: Theodore R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Burnes
authors.affiliation: Psychological Associates, La Puente, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Rojas
authors.affiliation: Independent Practice, La Puente, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Irena
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Delgado
authors.affiliation: Independent Practice, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Tianna E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Watkins
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012449:Safety; D011477:Sex Work; D060386:Sex Workers; D012944:Social Support; D014481:United States
keywords: Agency; Participatory action research; Qualitative research; Sex workers; Well-being