"You just give them what they want and pray they don’t kill you”: Street-level sex workers’ reports of victimization, personal resources and coping strategies

Authors

Rochelle L. Dalla Dr., University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Yan Xia, University of Nebraska–LincolnFollow
Heather Kennedy, University of Nebraska–LincolnFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2003

Citation

Dalla, R. L., Xia, Y., & Kennedy, H. (2003). “You just give them what they want and pray they don’t kill you”: Street-level sex workers’ reports of victimization, personal resources and coping strategies. Violence Against Women, 9(11), 1367-1394.

DOI: 10.1177/1077801203255679

Comments

Copyright © 2003 Sage Publications. Used by permission.

Abstract

Using both qualitative (in-depth, personal interviews) and quantitative (self-report survey indices) techniques, data were collected from 43 women involved in streetwalking prostitution. The purpose of the investigation was to examine exposure to violence and victimization among a particularly vulnerable female population across the life span. A secondary goal was to apply stress theory as an organizing frameworkfor examining personal resources (e.g., social support, locus of control) and coping behavior. Results from both data collection strategies are presented, and implications for intervention are described.