Juvenile entry into prostitution: the role of emotional abuse.
This study seeks to assess the nature and extent of childhood emotional abuse among adult women in a residential prostitution-exiting program. Regression analyses were conducted to assess the unique role of childhood emotional abuse in the prediction of age of entry into prostitution. Childhood emotional abuse, a history of running away during childhood, and participating in survival-based exchanges of sex were significantly associated with the commercial sexual exploitation of girls younger than age 18, while childhood emotional abuse contributed to predicting a younger age of entry. Results are discussed regarding policy, prevention, and future research.
Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA. Dominique.Roe@asu.edu
Dominique E
DE
Roe-Sepowitz
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse; D003132:Commerce / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003416:Criminal Law; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency; D011477:Sex Work / Q000523:psychology