(057) ARE THERE DIFFERENCES IN THE MENTAL HEALTH OF SINGLE CAMGIRLS COMPARED TO THOSE IN A ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP?
Authors: Soares Alves Mendes V 
Published: December 2024

Introduction

Camming, or webcamming, is a form of sex work involving the provision of erotic scenes or live online sex shows. This category of erotic service is predominantly occupied by women, who often explore other products within the field of sensuality, such as selling packs of photos and other pornographic media. The pursuit of this type of work often occurs because it offers a flexible routine and good financial returns, as well as not exposing workers to the typical risks of prostitution. However, despite the aforementioned benefits, camgirls may experience problems stemming from the profession, such as those associated with the digital environment, such as capping (recording of virtual erotic scenes without consent), doxxing (digital harassment aimed at acquiring and leaking information), or even on a personal level, such as stigma, vulnerability to mental disorders, and relationship troubles.

Objective

To understand the relationship between romantic relationships and the mental health of camgirls in the dimensions of depression, anxiety, and stress.

Methods

A total of 123 camgirls aged 18 to 29 (M = 24.1, SD = 2.7), Brazilian, and working in the industry for at least two months participated in the study. Of these, 43 were single, 47 were in a relationship, and 33 were married or in a stable relationship. To assess their mental health, the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) was administered. Initially, Descriptive Analysis of the data was conducted to characterize the sample, followed by One-Way Analysis of Variance (One-Way ANOVA) to compare groups divided by relationship status. The research was approved by the research ethics committee.

Results

The sample consisted mainly of white women (74%), bisexuals (63.4%), and those with incomplete or ongoing higher education (46.3%). Regarding the mental health of camgirls, a mean stress score of 22.1 was observed, with the majority exhibiting normal symptoms (27.6%), an anxiety mean score of 15.9, predominantly with extremely severe symptoms (37.4%), and a mean depression score of 20.4, mostly with extremely severe symptoms (34.1%). Regarding the comparisons between single, dating, and married or in a stable relationship camgirls, in all mental health factors, the significance levels were above 5% (p &gt; 0.05). The levels were: Stress = 0.92; Anxiety = 0.51; and Depression = 0.50. Thus, the results demonstrate that the levels of all three symptoms did not differ between the groups either in comparison by type or by style of relationship.

Conclusions

The observed results indicated moderate to severe levels of stress, anxiety, and depression, with the majority exhibiting extremely severe symptoms. Furthermore, they also suggest that the levels of mental distress do not significantly differ between camgirls who are or are not in a romantic relationship. The results point to the vulnerability of camming workers regarding mental health, as the majority exhibited moderate to extremely severe symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression, suggesting significant mental distress for the category. However, relationships did not appear to be an attribute that would have a negative or positive effect on the dimensions of mental health addressed in this study.

Disclosure

No.