Substance misuse among women suffering homelessness and prostitution in Spain

The article analyses the substance misuse among women suffering homelessness and prostitution in Madrid, Spain. Information was collected from a sample of 135 women experiencing homelessness in Madrid. 81% of the interviewed had never found themselves in prostitution, while 19% had found themselves...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Vázquez Cabrera, José Juan|||0000-0003-4601-1920, González Arribas, Olga, Panadero , Sonia
Format: article
Publication Date:2025
Country:España
Institution:Universidad de Alcalá (UAH)
Repository:e_Buah Biblioteca Digital Universidad de Alcalá
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:dnet:ebuahbibliot::38802cc69004343e47c340ac59f1d060
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10017/68545
https://dx.doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/14659891.2024.2302168
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Homelessness
Women
Prostitution
Substance use
Social exclusion
Educación
Education
Description
Summary:The article analyses the substance misuse among women suffering homelessness and prostitution in Madrid, Spain. Information was collected from a sample of 135 women experiencing homelessness in Madrid. 81% of the interviewed had never found themselves in prostitution, while 19% had found themselves in this situation at some point in their lives. The results obtained show that women experiencing homelessness who had found themselves in prostitution presented with higher rates of excessive drug use, before the age of 18 and throughout their lives, and were more likely to have consumed cocaine, heroin, methadone, cannabis and/or sedatives. With regard to excessive alcohol consumption, no statistically significant differences were observed before the age of 18 among interviewees who had or had not found themselves in prostitution, though throughout their lives, excessive alcohol consumption was significantly higher among the former. Substance misuse represents a factor of vulnerability both for becoming homeless and for remaining in said situation for long periods of time. Given that substance misuse affects a large percentage of the women experiencing homelessness who have been in prostitution, public policies and intervention programs with a gendered perspective must be implemented and made accessible to these women in situations of extreme vulnerability.