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Participation in Prostitution: Associated Outcomes Within Familial Relationships

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Abstract

There are several competing models of conceptualizing the prostitution industry. One such model, the polymorphous model, posits that sex work contains positive and negative factors and that both must be considered when assessing the consequences of participating in prostitution. This study examines the relationship between participation in prostitution and familial relationships using the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health data. The present study conceptualized participation in prostitution to include both clients and providers. Results indicate that participation in prostitution is not a predictor of parenting satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, or of reporting being the victim of domestic violence. It is, however, associated with a significantly increased chance of perpetrating domestic violence (OR = 2.59). These results highlight the possible power dynamic present in prostitution and how these may influence intimate partner relationships. These dynamics are discussed and their influence on policy is considered.

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Acknowledgments

This research uses data from Add Health, a program project directed by Kathleen Mullan Harris and designed by J. Richard Udry, Peter S. Bearman, and Kathleen Mullan Harris at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and funded by grant P01-HD31921 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, with cooperative funding from 23 other federal agencies and foundations. Special acknowledgment is due Ronald R. Rindfuss and Barbara Entwisle for assistance in the original design. Information on how to obtain the Add Health data files is available on the Add Health website (http://www.cpc.unc.edu/addhealth). No direct support was received from grant P01-HD31921 for this analysis.

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  1. Department of Counseling and Human Development, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA

    Robert J. Zeglin

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Zeglin, R.J. Participation in Prostitution: Associated Outcomes Within Familial Relationships. Sex Res Soc Policy 11, 50–62 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-013-0143-4

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