University of Wisconsin-Madison, Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work, 1350 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
Yale University School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA.
Arch Sex Behav. 2023 Jan;52(1):459-468. doi: 10.1007/s10508-021-02215-1. Epub 2022 May 12.
Whether and how university students exchange sex for financial compensation in the USA is critically understudied. The purpose of this secondary analysis was to determine whether undergraduate and graduate students at a large public university report exchanging sex for financial or other compensation, and identify factors (e.g., demographics, childhood adversity, mental health) associated with exchanging sex. Participants were 600 college students (M = 21.3 years [SD = 3.8]); 72% cisgender women; 43.4% racial/ethnic minority) from a large public university in the Northeastern USA who completed cross-sectional, online questionnaires about lifetime trauma, adversity exposure, sexual behaviors, and current mental health and substance use symptoms. A total of 4.5% of participants reported exchanging sex for money, alcohol/drugs, or other forms of compensation. Bivariate analysis revealed that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans students (versus cisgender, heterosexual students), students who had more severe childhood trauma, who reported being removed from their family home in childhood, and students who were diagnosed with a mental health disorder before age 18 were more likely to report exchanging sex. In a multivariable model, only emotional neglect and greater alcohol use problems were significantly associated with likelihood of exchanging sex. To our knowledge, this is the first US study to determine whether university students exchange sex for money, alcohol/drugs, or other compensation. Findings suggest that universities could consider addressing exchanging sex in person-centered, supportive sexual health programming, university health services responses, and community spaces that support LGBTQ+ students. Future research is needed to understand students' circumstances in exchanging sex and differentiate compensation type.
在美国，大学生是否以及如何通过性交易换取经济补偿是一个亟待研究的问题。本二次分析旨在确定一所大型公立大学的本科生和研究生是否报告过通过性交易换取金钱或其他补偿，并确定与性交易相关的因素（例如人口统计学特征、童年逆境、心理健康）。参与者是来自美国东北部一所大型公立大学的 600 名大学生（M=21.3 岁[SD=3.8]）；72%为顺性别女性；43.4%为少数民族/族裔），他们完成了关于终生创伤、逆境暴露、性行为以及当前心理健康和物质使用症状的横断面在线问卷。共有 4.5%的参与者报告过通过性交易换取金钱、酒精/毒品或其他形式的补偿。单变量分析显示，女同性恋、男同性恋、双性恋和跨性别学生（与顺性别、异性恋学生相比）、童年创伤更严重的学生、报告童年时期被逐出家庭的学生、以及在 18 岁之前被诊断出精神健康障碍的学生更有可能报告性交易。在多变量模型中，只有情感忽视和更大的酒精使用问题与性交易的可能性显著相关。据我们所知，这是第一项确定美国大学生是否通过性交易换取金钱、酒精/毒品或其他补偿的研究。研究结果表明，大学可以考虑在以人为本、支持性的性健康项目中、在大学健康服务的反应中以及在支持 LGBTQ+学生的社区空间中解决性交易问题。需要进一步研究以了解学生进行性交易的情况并区分补偿类型。
