The Relationship between Survival Sex and Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms in a High Risk Female Population

Authors

Jerreed Ivanich, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Melissa L. Welch-Lazoritz, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Kirk Dombrowski, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Date of this Version

2017

Citation

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14, 1031; doi:10.3390/ijerph14091031.

Comments

Copyright 2017 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.

Abstract

Engaging in survival sex and mental illness are overrepresented within homeless populations. This article assesses the relationship between symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and engaging in survival sex among homeless women. One hundred and fifty-eight homeless women completed surveys on self-reported BPD symptomology and sexual history. Bivariate and multivariate analyses conducted in this study provided insights into the association of experiencing BPD symptoms and engaging in survival sex. Results indicate that some symptoms of BPD are robustly correlated with engaging in survival sex among homeless adult women. Implications for service agencies and others working with at-risk female populations are discussed.