Latent Classes of Polysubstance Use and Associations with HIV Risk and Structural Vulnerabilities among Cisgender Women Who Engage in Street-Based Transactional Sex in Baltimore City

Sam Wilson Beckham, Jennifer L. Glick, Kristin E. Schneider, Sean T. Allen, Lillian Shipp, Rebecca Hamilton White, Ju Nyeong Park and Susan G. Sherman
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Sam Wilson Beckham: Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
Jennifer L. Glick: Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
Kristin E. Schneider: Department of Mental Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
Sean T. Allen: Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
Lillian Shipp: Department of Epidemiology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
Rebecca Hamilton White: Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
Ju Nyeong Park: Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
Susan G. Sherman: Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 7, 1-12

Abstract: We describe patterns of polysubstance use and associations with HIV risk-related behaviors among women engaged in street-based transactional sex, an understudied yet important population and area of research. This sample was restricted to cisgender women who reported drug use ( n = 244) in the baseline of the longitudinal SAPPHIRE cohort study. Latent class analysis (LCA) was conducted using drug use measures (route of administration (injection/non-injection); type of drug (specific opioids, stimulants)) and selection based on fit statistics and qualitative interpretation of the classes. Polysubstance use was prevalent (89% ≥ 2), and 68% had injected drugs in the past 3 months. A three-class solution was selected: Class 1 (“heroin/cocaine use”, 48.4% of sample), Class 2 (“poly-opioid use”, 21.3%), and Class 3 (“poly-route, polysubstance use”, 30.3%). Class 3 was significantly younger, and Class 2 was disproportionately non-White. Women reported high levels of housing (63%) and food (55%) insecurity, condomless sex with clients (40%), and client-perpetrated violence (35%), with no significant differences by class. Obtaining syringes from syringe services programs differed significantly by class, despite injection behaviors in all classes. Tailored HIV and overdose prevention programming that considers drug use patterns would strengthen their impact.

Keywords: substance use; sex work; structural vulnerabilities; latent class analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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