Sex Trade Among Youth: A Global Review of the Prevalence, Contexts and Correlates of Transactional Sex Among the General Population of Youth

Abstract

Transactional sex, the casual exchange of sexual favors for money or gifts, has been associated with negative outcomes and health risks, particularly among youth. This global review of the evidence explores trends of buying and selling sex among the general population of male and female youth across 28 countries. It compares the differences and similarities in prevalence rates between genders (male versus female), sex trading activities (selling versus buying), and country income groups (high-income versus low-and middle-income countries) and examines the relationships and situations surrounding transactional sex, and its correlates. The screening of reports resulted in the inclusion of 37 manuscripts (N = 120,447 participants), involving peer review and grey literature describing longitudinal and cross-sectional research across 7 high-income and 21 low-and middle-income countries. The review of prevalence rates suggests relatively low rates of transactional sex in highincome countries (with selling and buying rates below 10% in all countries) and relatively high, although varying rates, in low-and middle-income countries (with selling and buying rates of 60% or higher in seven countries). Gender disaggregated data suggests that boys are more likely than girls to sell sex in high-income countries while the opposite seems to be true in low-and middle-income countries. The findings suggest that initial contact between sellers and buyers is most often established through friends, acquaintances, and dating websites. The age of onset is around 15 years, many sellers and buyers already know each other before trading sex, and they are often of a similar age. Money is the most commonly used form of compensation. Correlates of selling sex include involvement in other risky sexual behaviors, substance use, infection with sexually transmitted diseases, mental health problems, family break-up, and a history of victimization. No or mixed relations have been found with socioeconomic and educational status. The correlates of buying sex include promiscuity, substance use, violence perpetration and, to some extent, higher socioeconomic status. Recommendations for future research are discussed.

Longitudinal Risk Factors of Selling and Buying Sexual Services Among Youths in Switzerland

“…Our findings showed that the prevalence of selling sexual services in our sample was 2% and that the prevalence of buying sexual services was 2.7%. These rates are comparable to those found in other high-income countries (Krisch et al, 2019). Statistics by gender showed that the prevalence of buying sexual services was zero among female youths and 5.4% among male youths.…”

“…Reviews suggest that prevalence estimates of selling and buying sexual services in high-income countries are low (Krisch, Averdijk, Valdebenito, & Eisner, 2019). Across representative studies in high-income countries, 1 to 7% of youths reported that they had sold sexual services at least once in their lives (e.g., Betzer, Köhler, & Schlemm, 2015;Edwards, Iritani, & Hallfors, 2006;Helweg-Larsen, 2003).…”

Providing Sexual Companionship for Resources: Development, Validation, and Personality Correlates of the Acceptance of Sugar Relationships in Young Women and Men Scale (ASR-YWMS)

“…Other findings also revealed socially undesirable personality traits in university students involved in transactional sex (e.g., Edwards, 2017;Blum et al, 2018). Furthermore, studies conducted in economically developed East Asian countries highlight the importance of a materialistic worldview as a possible explanation for many young women's willingness to provide sexual services to older men in exchange for material compensation (e.g., Cheung et al, 2016;Song and Morash, 2016;Krisch et al, 2019).…”

“…Based on the results of previous research exploring the relationship between transactional sex and materialistic values (e.g., Cheung et al, 2016;Song and Morash, 2016;Krisch et al, 2019), we hypothesized that individuals with a more positive attitude toward sugar relationships would have more materialistic, utilitarian and self-focused views on romantic relationships and sexuality compared to individuals with a less positive attitude toward sugar relationships. The following predictions were derived from the above hypothesis.…”

Exploring How Trauma Is Addressed in Sexual Education Interventions for Youth: A Scoping Review

“…Sexual victimization has been consistently linked with sexual risk behaviors and negative sexual health outcomes, including, but not limited to, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs; Davis et al, 2018; Felitti et al, 1998). Individuals with a history of childhood sexual abuse tend to have more sexual partners (Littleton et al, 2007; Scheidell et al, 2017; Senn et al, 2012), are more likely to engage in transactional sex (Krisch et al, 2019; Lalor & McElvaney, 2010; Stroebel et al, 2012), and are less likely to use protection during sex (Campbell et al, 2004; Homma et al, 2012) compared with their peers without histories of sexual victimization. More specifically, research into the impact of sexual abuse on adolescent development has found links between a history of sexual abuse, altered stress responses, and increased odds of early onset of puberty among girls (Foster et al, 2008; Shenk et al, 2010; Wise et al, 2009).…”