Personality characteristics in emerging adults engaging in sex work: a systematic review
Abstract Personality may influence whether emerging adults do or do not engage in sex work. In turn, sex work may affect personality development during this sensitive developmental time frame. This systematic review synthesizes literature on personality and sex work in emerging adults. Seven of the...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2025-08-01
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| Series: | BMC Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-03242-6 |
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| author | Leonie Carmen Bandurski Christina M. Juchem Saskia Baumgardt Antonia Bendau Eva Asselmann |
| author_facet | Leonie Carmen Bandurski Christina M. Juchem Saskia Baumgardt Antonia Bendau Eva Asselmann |
| author_sort | Leonie Carmen Bandurski |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Personality may influence whether emerging adults do or do not engage in sex work. In turn, sex work may affect personality development during this sensitive developmental time frame. This systematic review synthesizes literature on personality and sex work in emerging adults. Seven of the ten identified studies investigated personality differences between individuals engaging vs. not engaging in sex work, four examined personality characteristics of sex workers only. Results suggest lower agreeableness, self-efficacy, and self-esteem and higher impulsivity, trait aggression, and antisocial traits among sex workers. The scant literature highlights the need for additional research to disentangle selection and socialization effects and examine within-person personality changes due to different types of sex work to inform targeted supportive interventions. This systematic review was pre-registered in the PROSPERO database for systematic reviews (2023, October 10, registration number CRD42023402800). |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e77b077d290147d59bb68553c7edc87e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2050-7283 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Psychology |
| spelling | doaj-art-e77b077d290147d59bb68553c7edc87e2025-08-20T03:46:15ZengBMCBMC Psychology2050-72832025-08-0113111210.1186/s40359-025-03242-6Personality characteristics in emerging adults engaging in sex work: a systematic reviewLeonie Carmen Bandurski0Christina M. Juchem1Saskia Baumgardt2Antonia Bendau3Eva Asselmann4Department of Psychology, Institute for Mental Health and Behavioral Medicine, HMU Health and Medical UniversityDepartment of Psychology, Institute for Mental Health and Behavioral Medicine, HMU Health and Medical UniversityDepartment of Psychology, Institute for Mental Health and Behavioral Medicine, HMU Health and Medical UniversityDepartment of Psychology, Institute for Mental Health and Behavioral Medicine, HMU Health and Medical UniversityDepartment of Psychology, Institute for Mental Health and Behavioral Medicine, HMU Health and Medical UniversityAbstract Personality may influence whether emerging adults do or do not engage in sex work. In turn, sex work may affect personality development during this sensitive developmental time frame. This systematic review synthesizes literature on personality and sex work in emerging adults. Seven of the ten identified studies investigated personality differences between individuals engaging vs. not engaging in sex work, four examined personality characteristics of sex workers only. Results suggest lower agreeableness, self-efficacy, and self-esteem and higher impulsivity, trait aggression, and antisocial traits among sex workers. The scant literature highlights the need for additional research to disentangle selection and socialization effects and examine within-person personality changes due to different types of sex work to inform targeted supportive interventions. This systematic review was pre-registered in the PROSPERO database for systematic reviews (2023, October 10, registration number CRD42023402800).https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-03242-6Transactional sexEscortProstitutionWebcam-sexPornographyDevelopment |
| spellingShingle | Leonie Carmen Bandurski Christina M. Juchem Saskia Baumgardt Antonia Bendau Eva Asselmann Personality characteristics in emerging adults engaging in sex work: a systematic review BMC Psychology Transactional sex Escort Prostitution Webcam-sex Pornography Development |
| title | Personality characteristics in emerging adults engaging in sex work: a systematic review |
| title_full | Personality characteristics in emerging adults engaging in sex work: a systematic review |
| title_fullStr | Personality characteristics in emerging adults engaging in sex work: a systematic review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Personality characteristics in emerging adults engaging in sex work: a systematic review |
| title_short | Personality characteristics in emerging adults engaging in sex work: a systematic review |
| title_sort | personality characteristics in emerging adults engaging in sex work a systematic review |
| topic | Transactional sex Escort Prostitution Webcam-sex Pornography Development |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-03242-6 |
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