Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: The Relationship Between Risk Factors and Adverse Childhood Experiences Among Minors
Disciplines
Health Psychology | Psychology
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Modern day slavery or human trafficking is a serious, widespread, yet often unreported crime. The Human Trafficking Institute reported that 64% of criminal prosecutions of trafficking were specific to sex trafficking with the majority of cases involving female victims under 18 years of age (Lane et al., 2022). The Polaris Project (2020) identified 10,836 victims of sex trafficking in the United States through their reporting system; of these, 2600 cases involved minors. There are many risk factors associated with domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST), or commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC). These factors include, but are not limited to, a history of abuse, housing instability, and a parent who has been incarcerated (Barnert et al., 2022; Greenbaum, 2014). Additionally, youth who identify as a minority, based on race/ethnicity and sexual orientation, are at a heightened risk of being trafficked. Notably, several of these risk factors overlap with trauma measured on the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) scale (1998). Emerging research has demonstrated that adults who experienced sex trafficking as minors have higher aggregate ACE scores compared to their historical peers in the general population (Byrnes et al., 2023). Given these findings, further investigation with more depth is warranted. The aim of this study was to examine the relation of individual and cumulative ACE scores to risk factors among trafficked minors. Utilizing secondary data analysis, we examined de-identified electronic health records of minors aged 12-17 who were in acute residential care following suspected or confirmed sex trafficking. The data spanned a three-year period from 2020, 2021, and 2022. A socio-ecological model informed the methodology of the chart review. The discussion will focus on the associations between ACE scores and risk factors from a developmental perspective. In conclusion, recommendations for increasing protective factors through cross-cutting violence prevention and intervention efforts will be highlighted.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
RCHSS - Psychological Science
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Dorothy Marsil
Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: The Relationship Between Risk Factors and Adverse Childhood Experiences Among Minors
Modern day slavery or human trafficking is a serious, widespread, yet often unreported crime. The Human Trafficking Institute reported that 64% of criminal prosecutions of trafficking were specific to sex trafficking with the majority of cases involving female victims under 18 years of age (Lane et al., 2022). The Polaris Project (2020) identified 10,836 victims of sex trafficking in the United States through their reporting system; of these, 2600 cases involved minors. There are many risk factors associated with domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST), or commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC). These factors include, but are not limited to, a history of abuse, housing instability, and a parent who has been incarcerated (Barnert et al., 2022; Greenbaum, 2014). Additionally, youth who identify as a minority, based on race/ethnicity and sexual orientation, are at a heightened risk of being trafficked. Notably, several of these risk factors overlap with trauma measured on the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) scale (1998). Emerging research has demonstrated that adults who experienced sex trafficking as minors have higher aggregate ACE scores compared to their historical peers in the general population (Byrnes et al., 2023). Given these findings, further investigation with more depth is warranted. The aim of this study was to examine the relation of individual and cumulative ACE scores to risk factors among trafficked minors. Utilizing secondary data analysis, we examined de-identified electronic health records of minors aged 12-17 who were in acute residential care following suspected or confirmed sex trafficking. The data spanned a three-year period from 2020, 2021, and 2022. A socio-ecological model informed the methodology of the chart review. The discussion will focus on the associations between ACE scores and risk factors from a developmental perspective. In conclusion, recommendations for increasing protective factors through cross-cutting violence prevention and intervention efforts will be highlighted.