Survivors of Commercial Sexual Exploitation Involved in the Justice System: Mental Health Outcomes, HIV/STI Risks, and Perceived Needs to Exit Exploitation and Facilitate Recovery
Abstract
:1. Introduction
1.1. Risks and Vulnerabilities for Sex Trafficking Victimization
1.2. Outcomes of Health among Trafficked Survivors
1.3. Needs of Survivors
1.4. Current Approaches to Address Survivors’ Needs and Healing
2. Methods
2.1. Sampling and Data Collection
2.2. Measures
2.3. Analysis
2.4. Safeguards of Participants
3. Results
3.1. Sociodemographics
3.2. Reasons for Sex Trade, Status in Commercial Sex Trade, HIV/STI Risk Behavior, and Emotional and Mental Health Status during a Commercial Sexual act
3.3. HIV/STIs Risk Behavior, Emtional and Mental Processes during a Commercial Sexual Act, a Comparison between SST and NSST Participants
3.4. Participants’ Opinions on Assistance Needed to Exit Commercial Sexual Exploitations
4. Discussion
4.1. Recommendations
4.2. Limitations
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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N = 168 | n | % |
---|---|---|
Sex | ||
Female | 145 | 86.30 |
Male | 2 | 1.19 |
Ethnicity | ||
Mixed/Biracial | 101 | 60.12 |
Missing/refused to answer question | 33 | 19.64 |
Middle Eastern | 24 | 14.29 |
Chinese | 5 | 3.00 |
Korean | 2 | 1.19 |
Black | 1 | 0.60 |
Latina/o | 1 | 0.60 |
Thai | 1 | 0.60 |
Age (Median age: 23, SD = 8.7) | ||
18–24 | 101 | 60.12 |
25–44 | 45 | 29.61 |
45+ | 6 | 3.95 |
Ever homeless | ||
Yes | 83 | 49.40 |
No | 85 | 50.59 |
Ever in foster care system | ||
Yes | 45 | 27.00 |
No | 112 | 66.66 |
Total | Yes | % | |
---|---|---|---|
Traded sex/had sexual contact for | (N) | (n) | |
Money | 168 | 131 | 77.90 |
A place to stay | 167 | 51 | 30.54 |
Kids’ needs | 168 | 47 | 27.98 |
To avoid being beaten | 168 | 41 | 24.40 |
Clothes or jewelry | 168 | 49 | 29.17 |
Drugs | 168 | 32 | 19.05 |
Partner’s drugs | 167 | 23 | 13.77 |
Violent pimp or partner | 168 | 48 | 28.57 |
Food or candy | 168 | 29 | 17.26 |
Status in Commercial Sex Trade | |||
Ever been a victim of human trafficking | 103 | 27 | 26.21 |
Had sex to meet basic needs (past month) | 155 | 32 | 20.65 |
Had sex to meet basic needs (past year) | 141 | 80 | 56.74 |
HIV and Other Sexually Transmitted Infection Risk Behavior | |||
Has a john/sex buyer refused to use condom? | 167 | 68 | 40.72 |
Has a john/sex buyer offered you extra cash to not use a condom? | 168 | 62 | 36.90 |
Did the john say he would find someone else (to have sex with) when you asked to use a condom? | 168 | 87 | 51.79 |
Have you been abused by a john when you asked to use a condom? | 165 | 134 | 81.21 |
Mental Health Outcomes about Having Sex with a Sex Buyer | |||
Lied saying a john was attractive | 167 | 110 | 65.87 |
Felt repulsed | 168 | 94 | 55.95 |
Fantasized about doing harm to a john/sex buyer | 168 | 45 | 26.79 |
Felt disgusted | 167 | 124 | 74.25 |
Wanted to quit being trafficked/prostituted | 167 | 77 | 46.11 |
Felt humiliation | 168 | 88 | 52.38 |
Felt dirty | 167 | 108 | 64.67 |
Felt depressed | 167 | 97 | 58.08 |
Had difficulty concentrating | 167 | 75 | 44.91 |
Lost trust in or felt hatred of men | 167 | 94 | 56.29 |
Loss of sexual pleasure | 167 | 87 | 52.10 |
Felt hopeless or desperate | 167 | 78 | 46.71 |
Had a sense of leaving your body | 166 | 73 | 43.98 |
Had flashbacks or nightmares | 167 | 78 | 46.71 |
Sex Trafficking Survivors (SST) and Non-Sex Trafficking Survivors (NSST) | SST (N = 27) % (n/N) | NSST (N = 76) % (n/N) | Odds Ratio | 95%Confidence Interval | Adjusted Odds Ratio | 95%Confidence Interval |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sex buyer refused to use a condom | 59.25 (16/27) | 32.89 (25/76) | 2.97 | 1.20, 7.33 * | 3.15 | 1.18, 8.39 * |
Sex buyer offered extra cash to not use condom | 51.85 (14/27) | 31.57 (24/76) | 2.33 | 0.95, 5.72 | 2.36 | 0.88, 6.31 |
Sex buyer would find someone else when asked to use a condom | 55.55 (15/27) | 48.68 (37/76) | 1.32 | 0.55, 3.18 | 1.44 | 0.52, 3.96 |
Victim abused when they asked sex buyer to use condom | 51.85 (14/27) | 9.45 (7/74) | 10.62 | 3.59, 31.37 **** | 12.01 | 3.42, 42.22 **** |
Lied to sex buyer saying he was attractive | 92.59 (25/27) | 53.33 (40/75) | 10.94 | 2.42, 49.51 *** | 10.89 | 2.31, 51.37 |
Felt repulsed | 77.77 (21/27) | 42.10 (32/76) | 4.81 | 1.74, 13.28 *** | 3.91 | 1.34, 11.42 ** |
Fantasized harming sex buyer | 48.15 (13/27) | 15.78 (12/76) | 4.95 | 1.87, 13.13 *** | 4.64 | 1.64, 13.10 *** |
Felt disgusted | 92.59 (25/27) | 64.47 (49/76) | 6.89 | 1.51, 31.33 ** | 6.57 | 1.29, 33.40 ** |
Wanted to quit being trafficked/prostituted | 70.37 (19/27) | 36.84 (28/76) | 4.07 | 1.58, 10.51 ** | 3.83 | 1.37, 10.70 ** |
Felt humiliation | 74.07 (20/27) | 42.66 (32/75) | 3.84 | 1.45, 10.18 ** | 4.76 | 1.64, 13.79 ** |
Felt dirty | 88.88 (24/27) | 57.33 (43/75) | 5.95 | 1.65, 21.51 ** | 8.80 | 1.85, 41.86 ** |
Felt depressed | 92.59 (25/27) | 45.33 (34/75) | 15.07 | 3.33, 68.26 **** | 34.12 | 4.14, 281.54 *** |
Had difficulty concentrating | 74.07 (20/27) | 36.00 (27/75) | 5.08 | 1.90, 13.55 *** | 7.73 | 2.41, 24.84 *** |
Felt hatred of men | 81.48 (22/27) | 49.33 (37/75) | 4.52 | 1.55, 13.19 *** | 5.68 | 1.72, 18.76 *** |
Had loss of sexual pleasure | 66.66 (18/27) | 44.00 (33/75) | 2.55 | 1.01, 6.39 ** | 3.59 | 1.28, 10.03 ** |
Felt hopeless or desperate | 77.77 (21/27) | 32.00 (24/75) | 7.43 | 2.66, 20.81 | 7.68 | 2.50, 23.64 **** |
Had sense of leaving body/disassociation | 80.76 (21/26) | 34.66 (26/75) | 7.92 | 2.67, 23.43 **** | 11.14 | 3.28, 37.82 **** |
Had flashbacks/nightmare | 85.18 (23/27) | 32.00 (24/75) | 12.22 | 3.80, 39.27 **** | 16.46 | 4.34, 62.45 **** |
Now or ever homeless | 66.66 (18/27) | 44.73 (34/76) | 2.47 | 0.99, 6.19 | 2.56 | 0.92, 7.09 |
Ever in foster care | 37.03 (10/27) | 30.26 (23/76) | 1.33 | 0.53, 3.35 | 1.05 | 0.38, 2.91 |
Assistance Needed | ||
---|---|---|
n (Yes) | % | |
Legal services | 50 | 39.76 |
General Education Diploma (GED) | 66 | 39.28 |
Childcare | 59 | 35.12 |
Therapy | 28 | 26.66 |
Job training | 44 | 26.20 |
Other | 32 | 19.04 |
Drug detoxification | 18 | 10.71 |
Methadone maintenance | 8 | 4.76 |
Emotional support | 5 | 3.00 |
Housing | 1 | 0.60 |
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Richie-Zavaleta, A.C.; Butler, E.; Torres, K.; Urada, L.A. Survivors of Commercial Sexual Exploitation Involved in the Justice System: Mental Health Outcomes, HIV/STI Risks, and Perceived Needs to Exit Exploitation and Facilitate Recovery. Sexes 2023, 4, 256-268. https://doi.org/10.3390/sexes4020017
Richie-Zavaleta AC, Butler E, Torres K, Urada LA. Survivors of Commercial Sexual Exploitation Involved in the Justice System: Mental Health Outcomes, HIV/STI Risks, and Perceived Needs to Exit Exploitation and Facilitate Recovery. Sexes. 2023; 4(2):256-268. https://doi.org/10.3390/sexes4020017
Chicago/Turabian StyleRichie-Zavaleta, Arduizur Carli, Edina Butler, Kathi Torres, and Lianne A. Urada. 2023. "Survivors of Commercial Sexual Exploitation Involved in the Justice System: Mental Health Outcomes, HIV/STI Risks, and Perceived Needs to Exit Exploitation and Facilitate Recovery" Sexes 4, no. 2: 256-268. https://doi.org/10.3390/sexes4020017