Parental Effects on the Exchange of Sex for Drugs or Money in Adolescents

Research has examined risk factors related to involvement in prostitution and sex trafficking using samples of adult prostitutes, runaway and homeless youth, and youth involved in the juvenile system. There is scant research that includes adolescents who cannot be categorized into these groups. Additionally, research is limited related to how parents affect the decision for adolescents to engage in sex for drugs or money. We examine risk factors concerning the exchange of sex for drugs or money from a nationally representative sample of adolescents. The data are structured where responses can be compared to a group of adolescents who indicated never exchanging sex for drugs or money. We used a negative binomial regression analysis to examine how the effects of parental and individual factors influence the exchange of sex for drugs or money among adolescents. Analyses revealed that individual factors were significant while parental factors were not significant; however, parental effects were significant when dimensions of parental involvement were examined.