CONTEXTUAL AND INTERACTIONAL FACTORS INFLUENCING CONDOM USE IN HETEROSEXUAL PROSTITUTION CONTACTS

The protection behavior of prostitutes and prostitutes' clients has be en studied from a contextual and an interactional point of view, Diffe rent protection styles (subject's cognitive and behavioral position re garding condom use) have been identified in both prostitutes (N = 119) and clients (N = 91). Risk-taking prostitutes were found to have the least favorable working conditions, to have the highest financial need , to have the lowest levels of well-being and job satisfaction and to have been victimized more often than consistent condom users and selec tive risk-taking prostitutes. Consistent condom users among the client s were found to be better educated, to have a less strong external Hea lth Locus of Control, to evaluate condoms and visiting prostitutes mor e positively, and prostitutes less negatively, and to have more fear o f AIDS than non-consistent condom using clients. Various protection st yles were found to be thoroughly intertwined with different interactio n scenarios. Four different interaction scenarios (a standard, a roman tic, a friendship and a fighting scenario) with a different chance of condom use are set forth. It is shown that the scenario approach gives good insight into the process by which unsafe sex in commercial conta cts comes about. For both actors, the context and the meaning of prost itution influence the way they play the game. The interaction and its outcome in their turn reinforce their attitudes towards prostitution. Implications for AIDS prevention are discussed.