Evaluation of the mental disorders of female sex workers in Tabriz.

Abstract

This study aims to have an evaluation of mental health among female sex workers in Tabriz for the first time in northwest of Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 48 female sex workers who had accepted to be evaluated were included. Socio-demographic and general mental health status, using General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) were recorded. Those with GHQ-28 score more than 23/24 in the first session, were thoroughly interviewed in a second session in order to find out their specific mental disorder, using Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV axis 1 and 2 Disorders (SCID 1&2). Results: This study suggest that 62.5% of female sex workers suffer from a mental health problem which is in accordance with previous studies. Mood and anxiety disorder were two of the most common and there were also records of personality disorders among participants of this survey. There were also high rates of addiction in female sex workers of this study.