Biography
Melissa Farley, Ph.D. is a research and clinical psychologist who has published extensively on prostitution, pornography, trafficking and the global sex trade. She is executive director of Prostitution Research and Education, http://www.prostitution research.com, a resource for scholars, policymakers, survivors of prostitution, and advocates.
Rosalie J. Ackerman, Ph.D. is a retired clinical and research neuropsychologist, formerly at ABackans DCP, Inc., in Akron, Ohio, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Pennsylvania State University. Her primary research is on traumatic brain injuries sustained by victims of intimate partner violence, and she has published extensively on caregiving, women with disabilities, and geropsychology. Dr. Ackerman is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association.
Martha E. Banks, Ph.D. is a research neuropsychologist formerly at ABackans DCP, Inc., in Akron, Ohio, a former professor at The College of Wooster and Kent State University, and a retired clinical psychologist. Her primary research is on traumatic brain injuries sustained by victims of intimate partner violence, and she is an expert on women with disabilities who has edited professional books that give voice to marginalized people who have been silenced. Dr. Banks served as the 2008-2009 President of the Society for the Psychology of Women, American Psychological Association Division 35.
Jacqueline M. Golding, Ph.D. is professor emeritus at the University of California, San Francisco, and a clinical psychologist who has published extensively on trauma, depression, and gender and cultural issues in mental health.
Abstract
Violence is pervasive in prostitution and can cause traumatic brain injury (TBI). This study estimated the prevalence and demographic correlates of TBI among 66 women and transwomen in prostitution. Ninety-five percent had sustained head injuries, either by being hit in the head with objects and/or having their heads slammed into objects. Sixty-one percent had sustained head injuries in prostitution. The women described acute and chronic symptoms resulting from head injury and/or concussions. These included dizziness, depressed mood, headache, sleep difficulty, poor concentration, memory problems, difficulty following directions, low frustration tolerance, fatigue, and appetite and weight changes. Screening for TBI is crucial to the care of prostituted women.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Farley, Melissa; Banks, Martha E.; Ackerman, Rosalie J.; and Golding, Jacqueline M. (2018) "Screening for Traumatic Brain Injury in Prostituted Women," Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence: Vol. 3: Iss. 2, Article 5. https://doi.org/10.23860/dignity.2018.03.02.05
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