Fear And Hopelessness In Two Types Of Sexually Exploited Women

Abstract

Thirty-four women self-identified as engaging in prostitution and were sampled from two prostitution intervention agencies over a 6 month period. Participants ranged in age from 22 to 55 years old (M = 37.40, SD = 8.43), over half the women had been sexually exploited through pimp-control, and over half the women had been sexually exploited under the age of eighteen. Participants completed a survey related to questions about levels of fear and hopelessness at the time of the sexual exploitation experience.Significant differences were found between women exploited through pimp controlled prostitution versus women exploited through survival sex. Women who had been sexually exploited through pimp control showed higher levels of overall fear, fear of harm, and fear of loss of social supports when exchanging sex for various items than women who were sexually exploited via exchange sex alone.