title: The relationship between social network characteristics and exchanging sex for drugs or money among drug users in Baltimore, MD, USA.
abstract: The current study examined social network and drug use factors associated with buying and selling sex among a sample of opiate and cocaine users in Baltimore, Maryland. A sample of 702 drug users who were sexually active were administered a social network and risk behaviour inventory. Compared to 25% of men, only 1.7% of women reported a history of giving money or drugs to get sex during the past 90 days. Conversely, more women (21.2%) than men (4.7%) sold sex for money or drugs. Those who sold sex were more likely to be low frequency crack smokers, were more likely to drink alcohol at least once a day, had a higher average number of crack-only smokers in their network, and had a smaller number of kin in their network. Men who exchanged money or drugs for sex tended to be low frequency crack smokers and reported having more crack-only smokers and injectors and fewer kin in their networks. The results suggest that network composition may be a risk factor for exchanging sex, particularly with respect to crack users, while kin may be a protective factor. These associations may be either a cause or consequence of exchanging sex.
authors: The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Health Policy and Management, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. clatkin@jhsph.edu
authors: C A
authors: CA
authors: Latkin
authors: W
authors: W
authors: Hua
authors: V L
authors: VL
authors: Forman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology; D015142:Baltimore / Q000453:epidemiology; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D016578:Crack Cocaine; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D011477:Sex Work / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012747:Sexual Partners; D012944:Social Support
chemical_list: D016578:Crack Cocaine