Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Risk And Protective Factors Associated With Personal Mastery Among Sexual Minority African-American Female Sex Workers, Mance E. Buttram, Hilary L. Surratt, Steven P. Kurtz

CAHSS Faculty Articles

Research among sexual minorities has traditionally examined problems such as substance use, HIV risk, mental health problems, and victimization. Among sexual minority street-based female sex workers, these vulnerabilities can be magnified. Grounded in theories of resilience, this study examines risk and protective factors associated with a high level of personal mastery among a vulnerable population of women. Data are drawn from baseline interviews from street-based African American female sex workers enrolled in a randomized intervention trial in Miami, Florida. We compare sexual minority (N=197) and heterosexual (N=365) women on measures of risk and protective factors; among sexual minority women we …