Age-Related Differences in Trauma Experiences, Mental-Health Needs, and Mental-Health-Service Use in Victims of Human Trafficking: A Pilot Investigation

Authors: Ghafoori, Bita & Taylor, Rachel

Abstract: This pilot study aimed to provide a preliminary comparison of the differences in traumatic experiences, mental-health needs, and service use in transition-aged youth (TAY) and older adults who were victims of human sex trafficking. Twenty-seven individuals who had experienced human sex trafficking and were seeking mental-health services participated in the study. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Checklist-5 (PCL-5), Life Events Checklist (LEC), and the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18) and provided information with relation to mental-health-service use. No age-related differences were found with respect to demographic characteristics, traumatic experiences, mental-health difficulties, or service use. Overall, both the TAY group and the older adult group reported high levels of trauma exposure and mental-health issues. Service use was found to be positively correlated with symptom severity of PTSD, depression, somatization, anxiety, and global severity of distress in the full sample. Implications for future research and treatment engagement for victims of human sex trafficking are discussed.

Keywords: clinical characteristics, human trafficking, mental-health-service use, risk factors, transition-aged youth, trauma