NCJ Number
210593
Journal
Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 14 Issue: 2 Dated: 2005 Pages: 1-23
Date Published
2005
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This exploratory study examined the relationship between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and related psychosocial characteristics and sexual behaviors among 46 gay/bisexual male escorts who advertised on the Internet.
Abstract
The e-mail addresses of 535 potential participants were obtained through advertisements in Internet user profiles and various escort Web sites, yielding 46 participants from New York City. All met the eligibility criteria of being self-identified as a gay or bisexual male, having self-reported sex work in the past 90 days, and being older than 18 years. The qualitative interview addressed sexual debut (including CSA and incest), initiation into sex work, and coming to terms with their homosexual or bisexual identity. Because of the small sample size and the nature of the exploratory study, only univariate analyses were performed. A total of 13 participants (28.3 percent) reported some form of CSA. An additional three participants reported incestuous childhood sexual activity (in each case with a brother), but none of the three considered this to be CSA. The majority who reported CSA indicated that the abuse occurred on more than one occasion and that the abuse was upsetting. The men who reported CSA were more likely to be from an ethnic minority group, to identify as bisexual, to have a primary male partner, and to be less likely to report having a preference for an anal receptive sex role. Men with a history of CSA were also more likely to report unprotected sex with work-related partners, increased internalized homophobia, and decreased adolescent isolation. This paper advises that interventions designed for male escorts with a history of CSA should emphasize safer sex strategies with work partners and a reduction in internalized homophobia. 4 tables and 44 references