ArticleArchives of sexual behavior2023
Struggling, Forgotten, and Under Pressure: A Scoping Review of Experiences of Sex Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Article in Archives of sexual behavior, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 35 citations in OpenAlex.
- Health and wellbeing experiences of women informal workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative systematic review.BMC public health · 2025Pooled it
- A cluster-randomized controlled trial of a combination HIV risk reduction and economic empowerment intervention for women engaged in sex work in Uganda.Journal of the International AIDS Society · 2025Trial
- Observational
- Depression and quality of life among Thai and migrant sex workers in Thailand: a cross-sectional study.Journal of affective disorders · 2026Article
- Deaths of female sex workers and sexually exploited adolescent girls during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Results of a cross-sectional study.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Knowledge and Preventive Practices Toward COVID-19 Among Sex Workers in Chiang Mai, Thailand.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- "'Corona' was bigger than AIDS": exploring how female sex workers with HIV navigated HIV care and treatment during the onset of COVID-19 in the Dominican Republic and Tanzania.Culture, health & sexuality · 2025Article
- Who seeks help in a crisis? Temporal analysis of anti-trafficking helpline contacts over the pandemic.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Impact of COVID-19 on key populations and people living with HIV: recommendations and sociopolitical responses from the EPIC community research program in Latin America.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Article
- The Legality of Labor and Perceptions of Deservingness of Rights and Services for Sex Workers.Archives of sexual behavior · 2024Article
- Challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic on women's HIV harm reduction centers: a mixed-methods study.Harm reduction journal · 2024Article
- Sex Work and Parenthood: The Experiences of Female Sex Workers Who Are also Parents or Caregivers: A Scoping Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- Pandemic-related challenges accessing food and primary healthcare among sex workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from a community-based cohort in Vancouver, Canada.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Impact of COVID-19 on Profession and Health of Female Sex Workers: Apprehension, Acquiescence, and Resilience.Archives of sexual behavior · 2024Article
- Receipt of COVID-19 emergency funds and engagement in sex work during COVID-19 among people who use drugs: evidence from Vancouver, Canada.Harm reduction journal · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly affected physical, mental, and economic well-being across the globe and has disproportionately affected certain vulnerable groups. This paper provides a scoping review of literature on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sex workers, published between December 2019 and December 2022. Six databases were systematically searched, identifying 1009 citations; 63 studies were included in the review. Thematic analysis revealed eight main themes: financial issues; exposure to harm; alternate ways of working; COVID-19 knowledge, protective behaviors, fear, and risk; well-being, mental health, and coping; access to support; access to health care; and the impact of COVID-19 on research with sex workers. COVID-associated restrictions led to reduced work and income, leaving many sex workers struggling to cover basic needs; additionally, government protections excluded those working in the informal economy. Fearing the loss of their already reduced number of clients, many felt compelled to compromise both prices and protective measures. Although some engaged in online sex work, this raised concerns about visibility and was impossible for those without technological access or skills. Many feared COVID-19, but felt pressure to continue working, often with clients who refused to wear masks or share exposure history. Other negative impacts on well-being related to the pandemic included reduced access to financial support or health care. Marginalized populations (and especially those in professions which require close contact like sex workers) need further support and capacity-building within the community to recover from the impact of COVID-19.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.