Emotional Landscapes and the Value of Sex: Exploring the Lived Experiences of Sex Workers\u27 Clients

Clients of sex workers face criminalization and stigmatization in Canada and across the globe; they are commonly depicted by their stereotypes in entertainment and news media and have become a more visible population with the advent of the internet and online erotic review boards. However, these people are infrequently represented by their own voices and stories in academic research and, as such, the reality of being a client is not encompassed by the existing literature. An accurate and comprehensive understanding of the sex industry is particularly important in the twenty-first century, as the laws surrounding sex work in Canada – and around the world – are being challenged, altered, and updated. In this qualitative research project, I address this gap by presenting the voices of fourteen clients, analyzing this data to identify key themes, and providing suggestions for future research which can further investigate the lived experiences of clients. This project is based on an interpretive paradigm informed by grounded theory and the sensitizing concepts of stigma, risk, and symbolic interactionism. Fourteen male clients of sex workers were recruited through an online erotic review board and interviewed, in person, about their experiences as a client. The results of this data collection and my subsequent analysis showed several key themes, including three unique findings which particularly contribute to this growing body of literature. First, several clients in this sample hire sex workers in order to manage a physical, sexual, or mental health problem. This is not a motivation found in the literature, even though sex workers have often claimed to provide therapeutic services to their clients; this indicates that there is an entire framework to sex work that is often overlooked, ignored, or under-emphasized when researchers study sex work from the perspective of the client. In addition, many of these clients have a fundamental interest and attraction to intimacy. Most client research defines and/or discusses ‘regular’ clients, a subset of clients who pursue strong relationships with one or few sex worker(s); this research either does not address the remainder of clients or assumes that they prefer to pursue a variety of sex workers out of a carnal drive separate from an interest in authentic bonds. I introduce an advanced four-part typology of the client that improves upon the existing dichotomy by grounding these categories in context, intention, and individual impressions of intimacy. Lastly, I present and discuss the transformation of a very specific hourly rate – in this case, two hundred dollars – from a literal amount of real-world dollars to a symbolic object that represents value, safety, and the ideal experience. This approach to the economy of the sex industry emphasizes the meaning-making process that clients undertake to construct meanings surrounding specific price points. The participants in this study share their voices in an attempt to expand general knowledge and understanding of the lived experiences of clients. In the body of this paper, three unique findings join several prevalent themes supported by the literature to create a window into the lives of fourteen clients of sex workers

Care interventions to support transition for young people leaving care: A Scoping Review

In July 2022, Cheshire and Merseyside Social Work Teaching Partnership (CMSWTP) funded a team of social work academics from Edge Hill University, Liverpool Hope University and University of Chester and a principal social worker from Cheshire West and Chester (CWAC) adult social care to conduct a scoping review of care interventions to support transition for young people leaving care. This report sets out the findings of the scoping review

Transitional support interventions for care leavers: A scoping review

The purpose of this scoping review was to identify and map knowledge on different types of transitional support interventions currently available to support transition to independent living for care leavers. An extensive search using four research databases was undertaken, resulting in 36 relevant articles for inclusion. Findings were organised thematically into four broad areas: (1) Extended care; (2) A Helping Relationship; (3) Family; and (4) Employment, Education and Training. Findings show that offering a combination of targeted interventions can contribute to a more successful transition. Effective relationship-based practices are critical to the success of transitional support interventions

Structure of Gαi1 Bound to a GDP-Selective Peptide Provides Insight into Guanine Nucleotide Exchange

Heterotrimeric G-proteins are molecular switches that regulate numerous signaling pathways involved in cellular physiology. This characteristic is achieved by the adoption of two principal states: an inactive, GDP-bound and an active, GTP-bound state. Under basal conditions G-proteins exist in the inactive GDP-bound state, thus nucleotide exchange is crucial to the onset of signaling. Despite our understanding of G-protein signaling pathways, the mechanism of nucleotide exchange remains elusive. We employed phage display technology to identify nucleotide-state-dependent Gα binding peptides. Herein, we report a GDP-selective Gα-binding peptide, KB-752, that enhances spontaneous nucleotide exchange of Gαi subunits. Structural determination of the Gαi1/peptide complex reveals unique changes in the Gα switch regions predicted to enhance nucleotide exchange by creating a GDP dissociation route. Our results cast light onto a potential mechanism by which Gα subunits adopt a conformation suitable for nucleotide exchange

Chiral structures and defects of lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals induced by saddle-splay elasticity

An experimental and theoretical study of lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals (LCLCs) confined in cylinders with degenerate planar boundary conditions elucidates LCLC director configurations. When the Frank saddle-splay modulus is more than twice the twist modulus, the ground state adopts an inhomogeneous escaped-twisted configuration. Analysis of the configuration yields a large saddle-splay modulus, which violates Ericksen inequalities but not thermodynamic stability. Lastly, we observe point defects between opposite-handed domains, and we explain a preference for point defects over domain wallsclose3

Transitional support interventions for care leavers: A scoping review

From Wiley via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2023-04-05, rev-recd 2023-09-20, accepted 2023-11-27, epub 2023-12-09Article version: VoRPublication status: PublishedFunder: Cheshire and Merseyside Social Work Teaching PartnershipThe purpose of this scoping review was to identify and map knowledge on different types of transitional support interventions currently available to support transition to independent living for care leavers. An extensive search using four research databases was undertaken, resulting in 36 relevant articles for inclusion. Findings were organised thematically into four broad areas: (1) Extended care; (2) A Helping Relationship; (3) Family; and (4) Employment, Education and Training. Findings show that offering a combination of targeted interventions can contribute to a more successful transition. Effective relationship‐based practices are critical to the success of transitional support interventions

Transitional support interventions for care leavers: A scoping review

From Crossref journal articles via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2023-04-05, accepted 2023-11-27, epub 2023-12-09, issued 2023-12-09, published 2023-12-09Article version: VoRPublication status: PublishedAbstractThe purpose of this scoping review was to identify and map knowledge on different types of transitional support interventions currently available to support transition to independent living for care leavers. An extensive search using four research databases was undertaken, resulting in 36 relevant articles for inclusion. Findings were organised thematically into four broad areas: (1) Extended care; (2) A Helping Relationship; (3) Family; and (4) Employment, Education and Training. Findings show that offering a combination of targeted interventions can contribute to a more successful transition. Effective relationship‐based practices are critical to the success of transitional support interventions

Evolution of muscular oxygenation parameters during walking test in pre-term children : a pilot study

International audienceObjective: To explore measures of peripheral muscular oxygenation, coupled to gait characteristics, between preterm and full-term children during a 6-minute walking test (6MWT).Study design: Prepubescent children performed a 6MWT. During the test, changes in muscular oxyhemoglobin, deoxyhemoglobin, and total hemoglobin were measured with Near-infrared spectroscopy technology, positioned on subjects' calves. Gait variables were monitored with the OptoGait system.Results: Forty-five children (33 full-term children and 12 preterm children, mean age, 4.9 ± 0.7 and 4.6 ± 0.9 years, respectively) participated in this study. Statistical analysis highlighted a decreased walking performance for preterm children, with significantly lower walking distance (P < .05) than children born full-term (405.1 ± 91.8 m vs 461.0 ± 73.3 m respectively; −9%). A concomitant increase of oxygen extraction (over the time course of Variation of desoxyhemoglobin) was observed from the third minute of the test (P < .05). No statistically significant difference was found for other near-infrared spectroscopy measures. Finally, the analysis of gait variables highlighted a group effect for walking speed (P < .05) and stride length (P < .01).Conclusions: Premature children showed decreased walking performance and greater change in peripheral muscular oxygen extraction, associated with slower walking speed and stride length. This may point to a muscular maladjustment and reduced functional capacities for children born preterm. These phenomena could be responsible for greater muscular fatigue