Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. We employed stratified multivariate linear and logistic regression. In both countries, mindfulness was associated with lower odds of moderate to severe depression AOR 0. Findings demonstrate the potential of tailored mindfulness interventions to improve mental health and HIV outcomes among FSW.
While the global prevalence of HIV has declined significantly in the general population in recent years, prevalence trends among key populations such as female sex workers, have not declined at the same pace 1 — 3. Prior systematic reviews have revealed that less than half of FSW are estimated to have access to antiretroviral therapy ART and among those on ART, there are significant gaps in viral suppression 4.
Both their heightened risk for HIV infection as well as their suboptimal HIV care continuum outcomes have been linked to the multiple, intersecting forms of stigma, discrimination and violence faced by sex workers 7 , and the broader structures and environments surrounding sex work, including policy and physicial environments 8.
Similarly, socio-structural dynamics have also been linked to increased mental health challenges among FSW 9. For example, previous studies have demonstrated greater mental health conditions among FSW who have experience violence 10 , work in street work environments 11 , 12 , identify as sexual or gender minority 13 and experience internalized stigma and have a lack of family support Depression has been found to be associated with increased sexual risk behavior among FSW in several studies 9 , In addition to its link to HIV risk, a recent meta-analyses examining mental health among FSW in low- and middle-income countries found significant associations between depression and violence and subustance use, respectively A prior systematic review and meta-analysis found that mindfulness meditation interventions among adults with a clinical condition were associated with statistically significant reductions in both anxiety and depression, with an effect size of 0.
Recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses examining the role of mindfulness among PLHIV have documented significant associations between mindfulness and mindfulness instruction interventions and better mental health, lower internalized HIV stigma, greater adherence to ART and improved HIV-related clinical outcomes such as higher CD4 count 24 — The majority of these studies were conducted in higher-resource settings and few were conducted among marginalized groups which may experience intersectional stigma associated with multiple social categories reflecting interlocking systems of privilege and oppression We sought here to examine the association between mindfulness and mental health, as well as mindfulness and HIV outcomes among FSW to gain insights into the potential of mindfulness interventions to improve health and well-being in this population.
