Giving or Receiving Something for Sex: A Cross-SectionalStudy of Transactional Sex among Ugandan UniversityStudents

Abstract

This study sought to determine the prevalence of transactional sex among university students in Uganda and toassess the possible relationship between transactional sex and sexual coercion, physical violence, mental health, and alcoholuse.In 2010, 1954 undergraduate students at a Ugandan university responded to a self-administered questionnairethat assessed mental health, substance use, physical violence and sexual behaviors including sexual coercion andtransactional sex. The prevalence of transactional sex was assessed and logistic regression analysis was performed tomeasure the associations between various risk factors and reporting transactional sex.Approximately 25% of the study sample reported having taken part in transactional sex, with more womenreporting having accepted money, gifts or some compensation for sex, while more men reporting having paid, given a giftor otherwise compensated for sex. Sexual coercion in men and women was significantly associated with having acceptedmoney, gifts or some compensation for sex. Men who were victims of physical violence in the last 12 months had higherprobability of having accepted money, gifts or some compensation for sex than other men. Women who were victims ofsexual coercion reported greater likelihood of having paid, given a gift or otherwise compensated for sex. Respondents whohad been victims of physical violence in last 12 months, engaged in heavy episodic drinking and had poor mental healthstatus were more likely to have paid, given a gift or otherwise compensated for sex