Influential Factors in the Formation and Continuity of Prostitution and Exiting from it: A Qualitative Study

IntroductionProstitution is widely recognized as a form of social deviance and sexual exploitation. It inflicts a lasting harm upon societies, families, and individuals. This phenomenon exhibits diverse dimensions across different cultures and societies; yet, there exists a common thread: its global nature and transformation of bodies into commodities facilitate a lucrative and opportunistic industry. Essentially, the dynamics of supply and demand, as well as involvement of intermediaries like pimps, plays a pivotal role in this relationship. Gaining a comprehensive understanding of the intricacies surrounding these aspects is crucial for comprehending the underlying conditions that contribute to the persistence of this issue and devising effective solutions to put an end to this destructive cycle.  Materials and MethodsThis study aimed to identify the factors that influenced the formation and continuity of prostitution and exiting from it. To achieve this goal, a qualitative approach was employed by utilizing the phenomenological strategy. The decision to use this method was based on the nature of the required information and the limited access to the target population for using quantitative methods. The study adopted an exploratory and non-confirmatory approach to collecting the data and gathering the necessary information. Through discussions and interviews, the factors and conditions experienced by the individuals involved in prostitution were unveiled. The data were collected through narrative and semi-structured interviews and a thematic analysis was applied to analyze the interviews and extract the prevalent themes related to the investigated issue. In this study, after conducting and implementing the interviews, their analysis was initiated following the steps outlined by Braun and Clarke. To achieve this purpose, the conducted interviews were thoroughly examined several times to effectively comprehend the data. Subsequently, the primary concepts were extracted from the written semantic expressions and the primary codes were generated.A purposive sampling method was employed. The interviews were conducted with 15 women residing in the rehabilitation centers in Mashhad to achieve the data saturation, which was determined via repetition of the received information. The analysis units in this research were the women, who were approached during the interviews, and their ages ranged from 14 to 40 years considering distribution of the population. Discussion and The phenomenon of prostitution is complex and multifaceted. It is influenced by a multitude of factors that come together at various stages. While the narratives provided by the interviewees might have some differences, it was possible to identify a general framework that outlined the key elements involved.The findings of this study emphasized the pivotal role of family dysfunction in the development of prostitution. Factors, such as parental addiction, divorce, economic and cultural poverty within the family, lack of social support and affection, physical and psychological violence, parental prejudice and restrictions, along with the presence of deviant individuals among relatives and their influence, all contributed to the emergence of various deviations, including prostitution. Additionally, this investigation revealed several influential categories of conditions in the formation and perpetuation of prostitution.These conditions encompassed familial background circumstances (parental addiction and divorce, economic and cultural poverty within the family, lack of social support and affection, physical and psychological violence, and parental prejudice and restrictions), individual issues (addiction, early-age marriage, mental and psychological disorders, and depression), precipitating circumstances (financial needs, fleeing from home, and lack of temporary accommodation), and exacerbating conditions (the role of intermediaries enticing individuals into prostitution, forced prostitution by parents, and modeling and adoption of deviant behaviors from relatives). Moreover, consolidating conditions, such as earning a substantial income from prostitution, job convenience, covering addiction expenses, and unmet sexual and emotional needs, significantly contributed to the continuity of this phenomenon. Lastly, inhibiting conditions like marrying a desired partner, severing ties with intermediaries, and overcoming addiction played a role in exiting from prostitution.