Table 1:
Baseline characteristics, by reported current engagement in sex work to support children (N=214)
| Total | Current sex work to support children | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| N=214 | No (N=157; 73%) | Yes (N=57; 27%) | |
| Age, median (IQR) | 36 (30, 42) | 36 (31, 43) | 35 (30, 42) |
| Gendered Division of Labor (Socio-economic Factors) | |||
| Race** | |||
| White | 141 (65.9%) | 113 (72.0%) | 28 (49.1%) |
| African-American | 52 (24.3%) | 30 (19.1%) | 22 (38.6%) |
| Hispanic or Other | 21 (9.8%) | 14 (8.9%) | 7 (12.3%) |
| Married or in a relationship | 73 (34.3%) | 52 (33.3%) | 21 (36.8%) |
| Highest education level less than grade 12 | 109 (50.9%) | 79 (50.3%) | 30 (52.6%) |
| Housing instability, past 3 months* | 142 (66.4%) | 111 (70.7%) | 31 (54.4%) |
| Food insecurity (hungry > once per week), past 3 months | 117 (54.7%) | 91 (58.0%) | 26 (45.6%) |
| Financial instability, past 3 months* | 176 (82.2%) | 135 (86.0%) | 41 (71.9%) |
| Other sources of income, past 3 months: | |||
| • Public assistance (N=213) | 113 (53.1%) | 79 (50.3%) | 34 60.7%) |
| • Child support (N=213) | 9 (4.2%) | 4 (2.6%) | 5 (8.9%) |
| • Money from partner (not for sex; N=213) | 58 (27.2%) | 40 (25.5%) | 18 32.1%) |
| • Money from family/friends (not for sex; N=213) | 87 (40.9%) | 62 (39.5%) | 25 (44.6%) |
| Sex Work Characteristics | |||
| Age started sex work ≤ 23 years* | 99 (46.3%) | 65 (41.4%) | 34 (59.6%) |
| ≤5 years in street-based sex work | 101 (47.2%) | 74 (47.1%) | 27 (47.4%) |
| Daily sex work | 139 (65.0%) | 108 (68.8%) | 31 (54.4%) |
| Gendered Division of Power (Physical Factors) | |||
| Sexual Risk & Substance Use | |||
| Condomless sex with clients, past 3 months | 79 (36.9%) | 63 (40.1%) | 16 (28.1%) |
| Daily heroin or cocaine use, past 3 months** | 176 (82.2%) | 136 (86.6%) | 40 (70.2%) |
| Binge drinking, past 12 months | 73 (34.1%) | 52 (33.1%) | 21 (36.8%) |
| More money for condomless sex, past 3 months | 38 (18.4%) | 31 (20.5%) | 7 (12.7%) |
| Most times/always drunk or high during sex with clients past 3m** | 165 (77.5%) | 130 (83.3%) | 35 (61.4%) |
| Law Enforcement | |||
| Ever incarcerated | 150 (70.4%) | 116 (73.9%) | 34 (60.7%) |
| Arrested in the past 12 months | 101 (47.4%) | 73 (46.8%) | 28 (49.1%) |
| Cathexis (Social Factors) | |||
| Motherhood Characteristics | |||
| Number of children, mean (SD) | 2.88 (1.57) | 2.82 (1.59) | 3.07 (1.51) |
| Lives with any children under 18** | 44 (20.6%) | 11 (7.0%) | 33 (57.9%) |
| Ever lost legal custody of a child* | 82 (38.7%) | 67 (42.9%) | 15 (26.8%) |
| Mental Health | |||
| Moderate to severe depressive symptoms (CESD≥16) | 136 (64.8%) | 104 (67.5%) | 32 (57.1%) |
| Mental health most important health concern | 55 (25.7%) | 36 (22.9%) | 19 (33.3%) |
| HIV & STI | |||
| Positive chlamydia or gonorrhoea test | 42 (20.6%) | 28 (18.9%) | 14 (25.0%) |
| Positive HIV rapid test | 10 (4.7%) | 7 (4.5%) | 3 (5.3%) |
*
p<0.05
**
p<0.01