Dana Freeling

I watched the original Poltergeist for the hundredth time, and it's such a good film. But it's bugged me often, about the character of Dana. I've read a few things, stating that she's the daughter of the dad's first wife, or that she's a product of teenage parents. But what I really want to know is what the film was trying to make us think about her. Sex worker? Overly promiscuous teen? She makes a comment near the end of the film about the hotel the dad wants to stay at later that evening, implying she's been there at least once, if not numerous times before. And then she gets out of her friends car at the end, her neck covered with sickies and her clothes looking rumpled and sloppily put back on.

Every time I try to search for more info, I only get articles about the tragic murder of the actress. Is there any other info out there?