‘I Got it off my Chest’: An Examination of how Research Participation Improved the Mental Health of Women Engaging in Transactional Sex

• Published in: Community mental health journal Vol. 54; no. 2; pp. 171 - 179
• Main Authors: Felsher, Marisa, Wiehe, Sarah E., Gunn, Jayleen K. L., Roth, Alexis M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.02.2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Activities of daily living; Adult; AIDS; Altruism; Autobiographical literature; Catharsis; Community and Environmental Psychology; Consciousness; Diary as Topic; Emotions; Exit interviews; Female; Health risk assessment; HIV; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Interviews as Topic; Medical ethics; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental Health; Original Paper; Participation; Psychiatry; Qualitative research; Research Design; Research Subjects - psychology; Risk assessment; Risk behavior; Sex Workers - psychology; Sexual behavior; Unsafe Sex - psychology; Unsafe Sex - statistics & numerical data; Women; Womens health; Catharsis; Ethics; Sex workers; Mental health; Electronic diaries
• ISSN: 0010-3853; 1573-2789; 1573-2789
• DOI: 10.1007/s10597-017-0094-y

Ecologic momentary assessment (EMA) is a form of close-ended diary writing. While it has been shown that participating in a study that incorporates EMA improves mental health of participants, no study to date has examined the pathways through which benefits may occur. For 4-weeks, twice-daily EMAs and weekly interviews captured mood, daily activities and HIV risk behavior of 25 women who engage in transactional sex. Qualitative analysis of exit interviews was performed to examine how participation impacted women's mental health. The majority of participants felt that EMAs heightened awareness of emotions and behavior. Most reported experiencing catharsis from the interviews; specifically, from having a non-judgmental, trusting listener. Participants felt responsible for completing tasks, a sense of accomplishment for completing the study, and altruism. This study demonstrates there are direct benefits associated with participation in an EMA and interview study.