Abstract
This study examined the HIV risk behaviors and life experiences of 151 transgender female youth, ages 15-24, in Los Angeles and Chicago. Descriptive analyses and logistic regression modeling were used to identify life factors associated with ever having engaged in sex work. Sixty-seven percent of participants had ever engaged in sex work and 19% self-reported being HIV positive. Many factors were significantly associated with sex work for this sample population. A final multivariate logistic regression model found that lower education status, homelessness, use of street drugs, and perceived social support remained significantly associated with sex work when controlling for other factors. Findings highlight the complex HIV risk environment and suggest a need for sex work initiation research for transgender female youth. HIV prevention efforts for this population need to include broad-based approaches that take into account individual, social, and community-level factors relevant to the lives of transgender female youth.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 902-913 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | AIDS and behavior |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 2009 |
Funding
Acknowledgments The Adolescent Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions (ATN) is funded by grant No. U01 HD40533 from the National Institutes of Health through the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (A. Rogers, L. Serchuck), with supplemental funding from the National Institutes on Drug Abuse (N. Borek), Mental Health (A. Forsyth, P. Brouwers), and Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (K. Bryant). We acknowledge the contribution of the investigators and staff at the following ATN sites that participated in this study: Children’s Memorial Hospital, Chicago (R. Garofalo); and Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA (M. Belzer). The study was scientifically reviewed by the ATN’s Behavioral Leadership Group. Network scientific and logistical support was provided by the ATN Coordinating Center (C. Wilson, C. Partlow), at University of Alabama at Birmingham. Network operations and analytic support was provided by the ATN Data and Operations Center at Westat, Inc., (J. Korelitz, B. Driver). The investigators are grateful to the members of the Transgender Advisory Committee for their insight and counsel and are particularly indebted to the youth who participated in this study. We also acknowledge Gary Harper who served as a consultant on this project.
Keywords
- HIV
- Sex work
- Social support
- Transgender female youth
- Youth
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Infectious Diseases
- Social Psychology
