Correlates of the Sex Trade among African–American Youth Living in Urban Public Housing: Assessing the Role of Parental Incarceration and Parental Substance Use

Abstract

African-American youth are disproportionately affected by parental incarceration and the consequences of parental substance use. Many adapt to the loss of their parents to prison or drug addiction by engaging in sex-risk behavior, particularly the sex trade. These youth may engage in this risky behavior for a number of reasons. Although previous research has examined this issue, most of these studies have focused on runaway or street youth or youth in international settings. Empirical evidence on correlates of trading sex for money among urban African-American youth is practically missing. Using a sample of 192 African-American youth living in urban public housing, this paper attempts to rectify this gap in knowledge by assessing how individual and parental factors are related to the likelihood of a youth trading sex for money. The sample for this study reported a mean age of 19; 28 % reported having traded sex for money; 30 % had a father currently in prison; and 7 % reported having a mother currently in prison. Maternal incarceration and paternal substance use were associated with a higher likelihood of trading sex for money. Given the potential health risks associated with trading sex for money, understanding correlates of this behavior has important implications for the health of this vulnerable population of youth and urban health in general.

Early Onset of Sexual Intercourse and Parental Incarceration among African American Youth Living in Urban Public Housing

“…Despite disparate impacts of parental incarceration and substance use and higher sex-risk behaviors in low SES African American youth, relationships, if any, among these factors have not been fully explored within this youth population. It is important to note that existing evidence on African American youth points to a higher likelihood of youth sex-risk behavior when a mother is incarcerated and when a father has an alcohol problem [9]. This paper contributes to a gap in the literature by focusing on the relationships among parental substance use and incarceration, and youth early sexual onset in youth living in public housing.…”

“…For example, African American youth living in public housing report an earlier age of onset of sex compared to their non-public housing African American counterparts [9]. Existing evidence point to a strong and enduring relationship among early sexual onset, number of sex partners, teen pregnancies, and STIs [30].…”

“…Youth may also initiate sex early as a means of coping with the loss of a parent to substance use, alcoholism, or incarceration. Parental substance use or incarceration may also curtail scarce monetary resources, resulting in youth engaging in survival sex to meet their basic needs.9 Indeed, research has documented robust relationships between diminished parental support and monitoring, and youth sexual risk behaviors [9,30,32]. The literature reviewed above and the family stress theory provide a sound empirical and theoretical foundation to explore possible linkages among early sexual onset and parental incarceration and substance use.…”

“…Although African American adults do not report the highest rate of alcohol and other drug use, evidence suggests that the consequences of substance use are severe in this population [6]. Accordingly, the children of substance-abusing African American parents are more likely to engage in a range of health-risk behaviors [7,8], including sex-risk behaviors [9]. In fact, African American youth ages 13 to 24 years ofimmunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections while Hispanics/Latinos and Whites account for 20% each [10].…”

Impact of Maternal Incarceration on the Criminal Justice Involvement of Adult Offspring

“…Fewer in number are the studies that have explored whether type of parental incarceration (i.e., paternal vs. maternal) has a differential impact on outcomes among children (Foster and Hagan 2013;Hagan and Foster 2012b;Lee, Fang, and Luo 2013;Nebbitt et al 2013;Tasca, Rodriguez, and Zatz 2011).…”