title: Substance use/misuse among female prostitutes and female arrestees.
abstract: The literature has documented the correlation between prostitution and drug use/misuse. This study probed demographics, drug use experimentation and frequency, age of first drug use, and drug use treatment among 53 female prostitutes and 47 female arrestees. The results indicated that: 1) prostitutes were likely to drop out of school; 2) significantly more prostitutes had tried drugs, had used drugs with greater frequency and had begun drug/alcohol use at younger ages. These results imply that: 1) early drug/alcohol use and withdrawal from school could leave young women vulnerable and at higher risk of becoming involved in prostitution; and 2) drug use treatment and intervention needs to begin at younger ages.
authors.affiliation: University of South Florida, Tampa.
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Kuhns
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Heide
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Silverman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008658:Inactivation, Metabolic; D011477:Sex Work; D012940:Social Problems; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000145:classification* / Q000628:therapy; D014481:United States