Sexual Health Promotion, The Iranian Center for Addiction Studies (INCAS), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Sexual & Family Health Division in the Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Research Center (BASIR), Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
BMC Womens Health. 2023 Aug 1;23(1):403. doi: 10.1186/s12905-023-02552-4.
While self-rated health (SRH) and quality of life (QoL) has been associated with substance use disorders (SUDs) in sex-working populations, little is known about this association in Iran. This study aimed to assess QoL and SRH in Iranian female sex workers (FSWs) in Tehran.
FSWs were recruited using convenience sampling methods from substance abuse treatment centers in Tehran that exclusively provided services for women. Participants completed an interviewer-administered demographic questionnaire in Persian and the Iranian version of the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Descriptive analyses, means and standard deviations; frequency and percentages, t-test and one-way ANOVA, and Chi-square tests were utilized to analyze the data.
The mean age among 161 participants clinically diagnosed with SUD was 34.09 years (SD 7.97; range: 18-57). The total mean QoL score was 41.03 (SD: 12.92). The highest and lowest mean scores were observed in the physical functioning (52.23) and role emotional (26.64) dimensions, respectively. Significant differences (p < 0.05) in QoL were observed according to education and marital status, and the average QoL score was lower in women who reported permanent marriages and women who were illiterate. The average score of QoL was significantly higher in employed women. Overall, 51.6% of the women rated their health as sub-optimal, with divorced participants and women who were illiterate more likely to rate their health as sub-optimal (p < 0.05).
Results emphasize the need for mental, physical, and sexual health screening and gender-specific interventions to improve QoL in this population. Further investigation may elucidate the consequences of poor SRH and QoL on SUD treatment adherence, sexual risk behavior, and morbidity and mortality in FSWs.
尽管自评健康（SRH）和生活质量（QoL）与性工作人群中的物质使用障碍（SUD）有关，但在伊朗，人们对此关联知之甚少。本研究旨在评估德黑兰伊朗女性性工作者（FSWs）的生活质量和 SRH。
采用便利抽样法，从专门为女性提供服务的德黑兰物质滥用治疗中心招募 FSWs。参与者用波斯语和伊朗版健康调查简表（SF-36）完成了一份由访谈者管理的人口统计问卷。使用描述性分析、平均值和标准差；频率和百分比、t 检验和单因素方差分析以及卡方检验来分析数据。
在 161 名被临床诊断为 SUD 的参与者中，平均年龄为 34.09 岁（SD7.97；范围：18-57）。总平均 QoL 评分为 41.03（SD：12.92）。最高和最低的平均分数分别在身体功能（52.23）和情绪角色（26.64）维度上观察到。根据教育和婚姻状况，QoL 存在显著差异（p<0.05），报告永久婚姻和文盲的女性平均 QoL 评分较低。有工作的女性平均 QoL 评分较高。总体而言，51.6%的女性认为自己的健康状况不佳，离异者和文盲更有可能认为自己的健康状况不佳（p<0.05）。
结果强调需要对该人群进行心理、身体和性健康筛查，并采取性别特定的干预措施来提高 QoL。进一步的调查可能会阐明 SRH 和 QoL 不佳对 SUD 治疗依从性、性风险行为以及 FSWs 的发病率和死亡率的影响。
