Two sex workers’ experiences of using pre-exposure prophylaxis: A narrative analysis

Abstract

This article is intended to accomplish two primary tasks: to reveal the experiences of sex workers using pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and to demonstrate how a narrative approach can contribute to the field of health psychology. Two sex workers were asked to describe and discuss their experience using PrEP, as well as their lives prior to starting on it. In order to gain a perspective on the individual experiences of sex workers using PrEP, a narrative approach to gathering and analysing data was taken. The results are reported by means of two descriptive narratives. The narratives of the sex workers described in the article show the ways in which social support is neither predictable nor consistent at the individual level. Sex workers, like all people confronted with HIV, have diverse experiences, and are influenced by a wide array of personal and societal factors.