OBJECTIVES: We explored the association between traumatic events and mental health among girls and women trafficked for sexual exploitation. METHODS: We used subscales of the Brief Symptom Inventory and Harvard Trauma Questionnaire to interview 204 trafficked girls and women in 7 posttrafficking service settings. Multivariate logistic regression models based on interview data were fitted for depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) separately and adjusted for pretrafficking abuse to determine impact of trafficking-related trauma exposures. RESULTS: Injuries and sexual violence during trafficking were associated with higher levels of PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Sexual violence was associated with higher levels of PTSD (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 5.6; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.3, 25.4). More time in trafficking was associated with higher levels of depression and anxiety (AOR = 2.2; 95% CI = 1.1, 4.5). More time since trafficking was associated with lower levels of depression and anxiety but not of PTSD. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings inform the emerging field of mental health care for trafficked persons by highlighting the importance of assessing severity and duration of trafficking-related abuses and need for adequate recovery time. Therapies for anxiety, PTSD, and mood disorders in low-resource settings should be evaluated.
OBJECTIVES: We explored the association between traumatic events and mental health among girls and women trafficked for sexual exploitation. METHODS: We used subscales of the Brief Symptom Inventory and Harvard Trauma Questionnaire to interview 204 trafficked girls and women in 7 posttrafficking service settings. Multivariate logistic regression models based on interview data were fitted for depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) separately and adjusted for pretrafficking abuse to determine impact of trafficking-related trauma exposures. RESULTS: Injuries and sexual violence during trafficking were associated with higher levels of PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Sexual violence was associated with higher levels of PTSD (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 5.6; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.3, 25.4). More time in trafficking was associated with higher levels of depression and anxiety (AOR = 2.2; 95% CI = 1.1, 4.5). More time since trafficking was associated with lower levels of depression and anxiety but not of PTSD. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings inform the emerging field of mental health care for trafficked persons by highlighting the importance of assessing severity and duration of trafficking-related abuses and need for adequate recovery time. Therapies for anxiety, PTSD, and mood disorders in low-resource settings should be evaluated.
Authors: Cathy Zimmerman; Mazeda Hossain; Katherine Yun; Vasil Gajdadziev; Natalia Guzun; Maria Tchomarova; Rosa Angela Ciarrocchi; Anna Johansson; Anna Kefurtova; Stefania Scodanibbio; Maria Nenette Motus; Brenda Roche; Linda Morison; Charlotte Watts Journal: Am J Public Health Date: 2007-11-29 Impact factor: 9.308
Authors: N el-Bassel; R F Schilling; K L Irwin; S Faruque; L Gilbert; J Von Bargen; Y Serrano; B R Edlin Journal: Am J Public Health Date: 1997-01 Impact factor: 9.308
Authors: James M Jaranson; James Butcher; Linda Halcon; David Robert Johnson; Cheryl Robertson; Kay Savik; Marline Spring; Joseph Westermeyer Journal: Am J Public Health Date: 2004-04 Impact factor: 9.308