Pathways to Buying Sex among Migrant Labors: The Mediatory Role of Family Bonds and Peer Deviance on Social Network Homogeneity.

Family bonds and deviant peers constitute two important competing forces of socialization in migrants' social life. This study furthers the theory of family-peer relationship by arguing that migrants' social network homogeneity shapes the development of family bonds and peer deviance and is ultimately associated with increased likelihood of sexual risk behaviors. Applying regression techniques and structural equation modeling with bootstrapped estimates to survey data collected in 2011 among male Chinese migrant labors, this study found that 1) network homogeneity in terms of homeplace and occupation is associated with sexual risk behaviors, and 2) at least half portion of such association is significantly mediated by family bonds and peer deviance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]