Coping and disease prevention actions in sex service: structure of the social representations by female sex workers.

The objective was to analyze the structure of social representations bay female sex workers on coping strategies and take-care myself. Quali-quantitative study, supported by the Theory of Social Representations, in its structural approach. The free evocation of words test was used as an instrument, applied to 191 women, from the five largest and most populous cities in the Southwest Region of Bahia. The evoked words were analyzed using the four house frame, similarity index and the two centrality tests mise-en-cause and choix-par-bloc. Tha social representations are structured around central elements: God, money, taking care of your health, safe sex. Which possibly demonstrates that they develop religious coping, (self)care actions when developing protected sexual relations, as well as concern about keeping their bodies healthy, free from other diseases; Money is central, due to the need to have a source of income to develop coping and meet needs. The sexual service performed by women is marked by intersectional inequities that increase vulnerabilities, which demands attitudes and behaviors to protect biopsychoemotional health.