Correction: Assessing the effects of group perinatal compassion focused therapy in a National Health Service Talking Therapies service in England.
Authors: Millard-Brewer LA, Wittkowski A
Journal: Frontiers in psychology
mental health
psychology
open access
Abstract
Mobile populations worldwide are frequently identified as groups facing heightened vulnerability to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) due to the socio‐economic constraints and social dislocation associated with migration. Populations commonly recognized as high‐risk include fishers, long‐distance drivers, military personnel, sex workers, traders, seasonal agricultural workers, refugees and internal migrants [, ]. Their risk profiles are shaped by intersecting structural factors, including physical separation from family support systems, unstable housing conditions, restricted access to health services and the adoption of coping strategies such as transactional sex for economic survival. These mobility patterns often weaken social protection networks and disrupt consistent access to sexual health information and prevention services [, ]. Moreover, persistent economic insecurity, limited educational opportunities and social marginalization further amplify the vulnerability of these groups to HIV and other STIs []. Consequently, mobile populations have become a key focus of HIV prevention initiatives across sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) [, ]. In Ghana, one of the most marginalized groups of internal migrants is the (), referring to young female head porters who migrate from the northern regions of the country to major southern cities, such as Accra, Kumasi and Takoradi, in search of economic opportunities. The term derives from the Hausa word ‘ (goods or load) and the Ga word ‘ (woman), reflecting their primary role of transporting goods on their heads within busy market centres []. These girls and young women typically fall between the ages of 12 and 25 and often have limited formal education, weak social protection networks and constrained access to health services. Previous studies have documented multiple vulnerabilities experienced by , including exposure to sexual exploitation, violence and poor health conditions [, , ]. Many live in overcrowded informal settlements or temporary shelters near market spaces, where insecurity, poor sanitation and limited privacy are common. Their precarious economic circumstances and social marginalization may compel some to engage in survival strategies, such as transactional sex in exchange for money, accommodation or protection, thereby increasing their vulnerability to HIV and other STIs [].