Psychopathy and substance use in relation to prostitution and pimping among women offenders.

Abstract

Much research exists examining sex work in relation to substance use and other physical health risks. However, there is a paucity of research exploring person-level characteristics, such as pathological personality traits, in relation to sex work. This study used a large sample of incarcerated women (n = 310) to address 2 aims involving prostitution and pimping. The first aim was an attempt to replicate and generalize previous findings from Edwards and Verona (2016) on associations among psychopathic traits, substance use, and prostitution. The second aim explored relationships among substance use, psychopathic traits, and pimping. Psychopathy and substance use were measured using the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised and a modified version of the Addiction Severity Index, respectively. Prostitution and pimping were coded through institutional file review and self-report. Results replicated those of the study by Edwards and Verona (2016), such that psychopathy, and impulsive-antisocial traits specifically, positively related to prostitution above substance use. Results for the second aim showed that PCL-R total and impulsive-antisocial traits were also related to pimping, above the influence of substance use. Substance use was also higher in women who engaged in pimping versus those who did not. Results indicate that substance use and impulsive-antisocial traits of psychopathy are independently related to engagement in distinct roles across sex work contexts among incarcerated women. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).