Around 1-in-30 U.S. teenagers have exchanged sex for money or drugs, according to a new survey published in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections. Based on in-depth interviews of more than 13,000 adolescents, the prevalence of having ever exchanged sex for drugs or money was 3.5 percent and around two-thirds of those who had done so were boys. The researchers behind the survey said that the likelihood of exchanging sex for drugs or money was higher among those who were of African-American ethnicity, those who lived in a non-traditional family set up, and those whose parents had not gone on to higher education. It was also found that adolescents who had exchanged sex for drugs or money were more likely to have used drugs at some point in their life. Teens who were depressed or who had run away from home in the past year were also significantly more likely to have sex for drugs or money.
Interestingly, the average number of exchanges was one, suggesting that many of the adolescents surveyed exchanged sex for reasons other than survival, say the researchers. Other findings included:
- Adolescents who had traded sex were more likely to have been involved in a same sex experience.
- Those who had traded sex had a higher incidence of sexually transmitted infections.
- Around one-in-six of the girls interviewed in the survey had been forced into sex.
Perhaps the most worrying aspect of the survey is that the figures may under represent the true numbers of adolescents engaging in this practice. The stigma surrounding such activities is likely to influence the responses and according to the researchers; "The prevalence of exchanging sex reported here may be a conservative estimate."
Source: Sexually Transmitted Infections
