Much research exists examining sex work in relation to substance use and other physical health risks. However, there is a paucity of research exploring person-level characteristics, such as pathological personality traits, in relation to sex work. This study used a large sample of incarcerated women (n = 310) to address 2 aims involving prostitution and pimping. The first aim was an attempt to replicate and generalize previous findings from Edwards and Verona (2016) on associations among psychopathic traits, substance use, and prostitution. The second aim explored relationships among substance use, psychopathic traits, and pimping. Psychopathy and substance use were measured using the Psychopathy Checklist–Revised and a modified version of the Addiction Severity Index, respectively. Prostitution and pimping were coded through institutional file review and self-report. Results replicated those of the study by Edwards and Verona (2016), such that psychopathy, and impulsive–antisocial traits specifically, positively related to prostitution above substance use. Results for the second aim showed that PCL-R total and impulsive–antisocial traits were also related to pimping, above the influence of substance use. Substance use was also higher in women who engaged in pimping versus those who did not. Results indicate that substance use and impulsive–antisocial traits of psychopathy are independently related to engagement in distinct roles across sex work contexts among incarcerated women.

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Guides to neuropsychological assessment emphasize the importance of establishing rapport; however, there has been a minimal amount of empirical investigation of the impact of rapport on neuropsychological test performance. In this experiment, participants (N = 98) were randomly assigned to take neuropsychological tests in either a high or low rapport condition. Results showed that we were able to manipulate the level of rapport and that the level of rapport had a significant effect on the Grooved Pegboard Test and the Controlled Oral Word Association Test, with other tests nearing statistical significance. These results suggest that the level of rapport may affect neuropsychological test performance.

To date, very few studies have explored the association between psychopathic traits and risky sexual behavior (RSB) among women. Here, we investigated this relationship in a sample of 137 incarcerated women. Psychopathic traits were assessed via the Hare Psychopathy Checklist–Revised (PCL-R) and lifetime RSB measures, including number of lifetime sexual partners, frequency of engaging in sexual intercourse while intoxicated, and frequency of forgoing protection (e.g., condom usage) during sexual intercourse, were assessed through self-report. PCL-R Facet 3 scores (assessing lifestyle psychopathic traits) were associated with an increased frequency of engaging in sexual intercourse while intoxicated. In addition, women scoring high on the PCL-R were more likely to engage in sexual intercourse while intoxicated compared with a previously collected sample of men scoring high on the PCL-R. The results obtained in the current study help improve our understanding of the association between psychopathic traits and RSB among women.

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