Prostitution, drug use, and coping with psychological distress

The purpose of this study was to explore the severity of substance abuse an d reasons far using drugs among prostituting African American women who smo ke crack cocaine. Specifically, we were interested in examining whether pro stitutes use drugs as a means of coping with intra- and interpersonal exper iences commonly associated with their occupation. Using a convenience sampl e of 203 African American women with a history of crack smoking, participan ts were interviewed and asked a variety of questions including whether they had ever engaged in prostitution as a source of income and the severity of and reasons for their drug use. Women who were prostituting, in contrast t o those who were not, were found to have a significantly higher severity of drug use and were significantly more likely to use drugs to increase confi dence, control, and closeness to others and to decrease feelings of guilt a nd sexual distress. We argue that women may enter prostitution in order to fund their drug use; however, prostitutes likely increase their drug use in order to deal with distress caused by activities associated with their occ upation. The need to address the mental health issues of prostitutes who ar e abusing illicit drugs is discussed.