Elizabeth Barnert1, Mikaela Kelly2, Sarah Godoy3, Laura S Abrams4, Madeline Rasch4, Eraka Bath3. 1. Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and Mattel Children's Hospital, Los Angeles, California. 2. Department of Psychiatry, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California. Electronic address: mikaelakelly@mednet.ucla.edu. 3. Department of Psychiatry, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California. 4. Department of Social Welfare, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, Los Angeles, California.
Abstract
PURPOSE: We sought to understand the perspectives of commercially sexually exploited (CSE) young women regarding their health care needs, access, and use patterns. METHODS: Twenty-one CSE young women participated in this mixed methods study. Data collection included brief surveys measuring health care use, followed by in-depth, semistructured interviews to gain insight into CSE young women's health care needs, barriers and facilitators to health care, use patterns, and recommendations for improving care. Data analysis techniques included descriptive statistics for the quantitative survey data and thematic analysis for the qualitative interviews. RESULTS: Survey data demonstrated relatively high health care use across health care types, especially for reproductive and mental health treatment services. Barriers to care included being "on the run," fear of bad diagnoses, and trafficker control. The fierce autonomy conceptual model emerged from the analyses to describe participants' strong desire for self-determination in their health care decision making, including when to access care. Recommendations for improving care for CSE young women include preserving autonomy in health care decisions while meeting their basic needs, such as safety and shelter. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the CSE young women expressed high health care needs. Despite experiencing significant barriers to accessing care, study participants frequently sought care in a variety of settings. Furthermore, they shared insights about how to improve engagement in health care among CSE young women. Improving CSE young women's engagement in care requires health professionals and health systems that foster a sense of safety, trust, and autonomy over health care decisions-a need intertwined with CSE young women's experiences of abuse, survival, and sexual exploitation.
PURPOSE: We sought to understand the perspectives of commercially sexually exploited (CSE) young women regarding their health care needs, access, and use patterns. METHODS: Twenty-one CSE young women participated in this mixed methods study. Data collection included brief surveys measuring health care use, followed by in-depth, semistructured interviews to gain insight into CSE young women's health care needs, barriers and facilitators to health care, use patterns, and recommendations for improving care. Data analysis techniques included descriptive statistics for the quantitative survey data and thematic analysis for the qualitative interviews. RESULTS: Survey data demonstrated relatively high health care use across health care types, especially for reproductive and mental health treatment services. Barriers to care included being "on the run," fear of bad diagnoses, and trafficker control. The fierce autonomy conceptual model emerged from the analyses to describe participants' strong desire for self-determination in their health care decision making, including when to access care. Recommendations for improving care for CSE young women include preserving autonomy in health care decisions while meeting their basic needs, such as safety and shelter. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the CSE young women expressed high health care needs. Despite experiencing significant barriers to accessing care, study participants frequently sought care in a variety of settings. Furthermore, they shared insights about how to improve engagement in health care among CSE young women. Improving CSE young women's engagement in care requires health professionals and health systems that foster a sense of safety, trust, and autonomy over health care decisions-a need intertwined with CSE young women's experiences of abuse, survival, and sexual exploitation.
Authors: Amy P Goldberg; Jessica L Moore; Christopher Houck; Dana M Kaplan; Christine E Barron Journal: J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol Date: 2016-08-26 Impact factor: 1.814
Authors: Elizabeth S Barnert; Eraka Bath; Nia Heard-Garris; Joyce Lee; Alma Guerrero; Christopher Biely; Nicholas Jackson; Paul J Chung; Rebecca Dudovitz Journal: Public Health Rep Date: 2022 Jul-Aug Impact factor: 3.117
Authors: Elizabeth S Barnert; Sarah M Godoy; Ivy Hammond; Mikaela A Kelly; Lindsey R Thompson; Sangeeta Mondal; Eraka P Bath Journal: Acad Pediatr Date: 2019-12-10 Impact factor: 3.107
Authors: Eraka P Bath; Sarah M Godoy; Taylor C Morris; Ivy Hammond; Sangeeta Mondal; Saron Goitom; David Farabee; Elizabeth S Barnert Journal: Child Abuse Negl Date: 2019-06-22
Authors: Eraka P Bath; Sarah M Godoy; Georgia E Perris; Taylor C Morris; Madison D Hayes; Kara Bagot; Elizabeth Barnert; Marina Tolou-Shams Journal: J Health Care Poor Underserved Date: 2021-05