Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
Volume 32, Issue 3, 2000, Pages 259-267

Sex trading and psychological distress in a street-based sample of low-income urban men (Article)

El-Bassel N.* , Schilling R.F. , Gilbert L. , Faruque S. , Irwin K.L. , Edlin B.R.
  • a Social Intervention Group, School of Social Work, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
  • b UCLA Deartment of Social Welfare, Social Intervention Group, School of Social Work, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
  • c Social Intervention Group, School of Social Work, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
  • d Association for Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment, New York, NY, United States
  • e Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States
  • f Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between sex trading and psychological distress and assesses sexual human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk behaviors and HIV seroprevalence in a sample of young men recruited from the streets of Harlem. The authors interviewed 477 men, aged 18 to 29 years, of whom 43 (9.0%) had received money or drugs in exchange for sex in the preceding 30 days and were categorized as sex traders. Psychological distress was measured by using the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). Sex traders scored significantly higher than non-sex traders on the General Severity Index and on all nine subscales of the BSI. According to multivariate analysis after adjusting for perceived HIV risk, current regular crack cocaine use and homelessness, sex traders scored 0.173 units higher on the General Severity Index than non-sex traders (p <.001). More of the sex traders tested positive for HIV (41% versus 19%, p <.001). The alarmingly high HIV seroprevalence rate in sex traders in this sample underscores the need to redouble HIV prevention efforts for this population. The high levels of psychological distress and crack cocaine dependence among sex traders may undermine their ability to adopt safer sex behaviors and should be considered in intervention designs. © 2000 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

Author Keywords

Urban men sex trading

Index Keywords

urban population HIV Seroprevalence HIV Infections Human immunodeficiency virus infection psychological aspect poverty human Stress, Psychological mental stress Human immunodeficiency virus prevalence interview United States Humans Adolescent male prostitution Article disease transmission adult New York City Interviews
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-0034231958&doi=10.1080%2f02791072.2000.10400448&partnerID=40&md5=8976ecefd46a653b93c1bea8f695a0d6
DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2000.10400448
ISSN: 02791072
Cited by: 32
Original Language: English