Mothers' experiences of bonding with children in context of street sex work
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring women's experiences of bonding with their children in the context of street-based sex work
IRAS ID
173694
Contact name
Ruth Elsdon
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 10 months, 26 days
Research summary
This study will explore the lived experiences of women who are both involved in street-based sex work and who are mothers to young children. It aims to gain a better understanding of what it is like for women to bond with their children within this context including what they believe has helped them to develop relationships with their children and what has made this difficult.
Although no reliable statistics exist, many women are involved in sex work on streets across Britain and a large proportion of these are mothers. It is a lifestyle often accompanied by violence, poverty, and drug use and research suggests links between sex work and psychological distress for many women (Rossler, Koch, Hass, Altwegg, Ajsacic-Gross, & Landolt, 2010). These factors may present challenges to women when they have children in terms of being able to care for their children both practically and emotionally. This is reflected in the fact that many children are removed from the care of mothers who are involved in street-based sex work (Hester & Westmarland, 2004).
It is widely accepted that the quality of the attachment relationship a child develops with their parent in the early days, weeks and months of their life has a long lasting impact on their future overall development (Slade, 2002). It is important to understand the factors that impact on forming this relationship for different mothers. This knowledge can help to provide additional and focussed support for women in developing healthy relationships with their children, and in this context inform professionals working regularly with sex working mothers, and help to better understand the needs of women themselves.
The study will use individual interviews to give women the opportunity to describe their experiences in detail and provide insight into factors relating to bonding with their children.REC name
North West - Haydock Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/NW/0403
Date of REC Opinion
19 May 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion