A common stereotype claims that everyone involved in sex work suffers from severe mental health problems. While it is true that some sex workers experience psychological distress, often due to stigma, violence, and poverty - research consistently shows this is not inherent to sex work itself, nor does it apply universally. Like any occupation, the experiences and mental health outcomes among sex workers are diverse and shaped by broader social conditions.
Where did this claim come from?
Commonly cited studies to back up this idea include PTSD studies by Melissa Farley. Farley’s studies frequently claim that 60–70% of sex workers suffer from PTSD at levels similar to combat veterans or torture survivors.
These figures have been debunked as grossly inflated due to misapplied diagnostic tools, failure to distinguish current from past symptoms, and ignoring confounding factors like childhood abuse, addiction, and economic instability. Also in many cases, it’s not clear if the PTSD is from sex work itself, or from violence worsened by criminalisation and stigma — a distinction her studies almost never acknowledge.
A comparison study in Israel (Occupied Palestine) using the same PTSD tool found only 17% met PTSD criteria, underscoring how selective sampling inflated Farley’s figures.
What do reputable studies show?
Surveys from New Zealand (where sex work is decriminalised) found that most sex workers rated their mental health as good or very good. Another recent study in the UK, by Teela Sanders, also shows high job satisfaction. When asked to describe their work, respondents typically selected positive or neutral words. 91% of sex workers described the work as ‘flexible’, 66% described it as ‘fun’ and over half find their job ‘rewarding’.
https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/181389/3/SROFINAL.pdf
Why does this distinction matter?
Claiming all sex workers are mentally unwell: