Using the stigma engagement strategy in interviews with men who pay for sex

Bibliographic Data

ID18978005
AuthorsI Johansson (0000-0002-8141-0751, Kristianstad University, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume28
Issue8
Pages2305-2327
Publication date2025-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSexualities (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1363-4607 • E-ISSN: 1461-7382
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/13634607251324790
OpenAlexW4408147816
LanguageEN
References cited56

The article discusses the development and application of the so-called “stigma engagement strategy (SES)” in interviews with stigmatized study populations, drawing on an interview study with Swedish men who have paid for sex. SES is a qualitative methodological approach that utilizes external sources of stigmatizing narratives, such as newspaper articles and columns, as textual probes within interviews with stigmatized individuals. This strategy can help researchers to 1) concretize public discourse on stigmatized behaviors, 2) bring the broader societal context into the interview setting, 3) create a degree of separation between stigmatizing societal narratives and the interaction between interviewer and interviewee, and 4) contrast different narratives (societal versus personal). As such, this strategy assists in the exploration of how individuals manage stigmatization, enabling researchers to gain a comprehensive understanding of their experiences and perspectives. The article contributes to the existing body of studies on the value of deploying material methods in interview research by elucidating how these texts facilitated the data collection and analysis

Men who have sex with men · Psychiatry · Sociology · Gender Studies · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy · Medicine · Psychology · Sex work and related issues · Social Psychology