Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Keywords
Psychology, prostitution, correlations, interdisciplinary, motivations, psychological characteristics
Department
Psychology
Major
Psychology
Abstract
This presentation is based on a book project providing an interdisciplinary introduction to the topic of prostitution. Rose Travis will discuss literature that quantitatively addresses the psychological correlates of engaging in prostitution. First, the challenges of researching this population will be considered, followed by examining possible motivations associated with pursuing prostitution. Themes include economic motivation, drug addiction motivation, finding stability in prostitution, personal empowerment, social motivation, and escaping personal hardships. Next, research on psychological characteristics common among women engaged in prostitution will be described, including childhood abuse, adulthood abuse, drug use, posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, dissociation, and somatization. The literature presents a complex picture of the relationships between psychological variables among women engaged in prostitution that leaves open the question of causation, due to the correlational nature of the research.
Faculty Mentor
Elizabeth J. Krumrei
Funding Source or Research Program
Cross Disciplinary-Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research
Presentation Session
Session A
Location
Plaza Classroom 190
Start Date
21-3-2014 5:00 PM
Included in
Psychological Correlates of Prostitution
Plaza Classroom 190
This presentation is based on a book project providing an interdisciplinary introduction to the topic of prostitution. Rose Travis will discuss literature that quantitatively addresses the psychological correlates of engaging in prostitution. First, the challenges of researching this population will be considered, followed by examining possible motivations associated with pursuing prostitution. Themes include economic motivation, drug addiction motivation, finding stability in prostitution, personal empowerment, social motivation, and escaping personal hardships. Next, research on psychological characteristics common among women engaged in prostitution will be described, including childhood abuse, adulthood abuse, drug use, posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, dissociation, and somatization. The literature presents a complex picture of the relationships between psychological variables among women engaged in prostitution that leaves open the question of causation, due to the correlational nature of the research.