Table 2.
Differences in PHQ-9 items and seeking treatment by age of entry into selling sex among female sex workers in Eswatini, 2014.
| Started selling sex 18+ | Started selling sex <18 | Total | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Over the last 2 weeks, have you been bothered by any of the following problems?* | ||||
| Little interest or pleasure in doing things | 71.2% (457/642) | 80.5% (103/128) | 72.7% (560/770) | 0.031 |
| Feeling down, depressed (sad), or hopeless | 72.9% (468/642) | 82.8% (106/128) | 74.6% (574/770) | 0.019 |
| Either trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleeping too much | 67.6% (434/642) | 77.3% (99/128) | 69.2% (533/770) | 0.029 |
| Feeling tired or having little energy | 69.5% (446/642) | 77.3% (99/128) | 70.8% (545/770) | 0.074 |
| Either poor appetite or over-eating | 68.2% (438/642) | 77.3% (99/128) | 69.7% (537/770) | 0.040 |
| Feeling bad about yourself or that you are a failure or have let yourself or your family down | 60.0% (385/642) | 70.3% (90/128) | 61.7% (475/770) | 0.028 |
| Trouble concentrating on things, such as reading the newspaper or watching TV | 54.8% (352/642) | 67.2% (86/128) | 56.9% (438/770) | 0.010 |
| Either moving or speaking so slowly that other people could have noticed OR being so fidgety or restless that you have been moving around a lot more than usual | 47.7% (306/642) | 59.4% (76/128) | 49.6% (382/770) | 0.016 |
| Thoughts that you would be better off dead, or hurting yourself in some way | 41.9% (269/642) | 46.9% (60/128) | 42.7% (329/770) | 0.299 |
| Among those with depression | ||||
| Sought help or treatment from a healthcare provider | 64.4% (168/261) | 52.1% (37/71) | 61.7% (205/332) | 0.060 |
| Did not seek health services because of selling sex | 26.1% (24/92) | 17.7% (6/34) | 23.8% (30/126) | 0.323 |
PHQ-9, patient health questionnaire.
*Percentages reflect the proportion of participants who chose any response other than “not at all.”