Relationship of Psychosocial Factors, HIV, and Sex Work Among Filipino Drug Users

Abstract

In the Philippines, drug use is inevitably embedded in the culture of sex work. This has led to an increase in HIV infection rates within the country. However, exploration of sex work engagement particularly among people who used drugs remains to be understudied. This is a quantitative cross-sectional study done in 2015 to 2016 with 392 eligible participants aged 10 to 35 recruited from 6 TRCs in Luzon, Philippines. Data was collected through administered questionnaires and analyzed using logistic regression and chi square. Sex work engagement was found to be highly likely among substance users who lived with a drug user, experienced sexual, verbal, and physical abuse, and had problems with friends. On the contrary, sex work engagement was found to have no significant relationship with sociodemographic profile and psychological symptoms. Lastly, results on HIV testing indicate a low case finding rate. There is a lack of HIV testing among the doubly vulnerable population of drug users turned sex workers, whose kinship systems, social environment, and experiences of social injustice influenced their engagement in sex work. Shifting focus on public health approaches such as harm reduction and community-based programs are necessary in addressing the needs of drug users turned sex workers. Policies based on public health approaches may reduce stigma and improve health outcomes among individuals who engage in sex work and drug use.