The Relationship of Trauma to Mental Disorders Among Trafficked and Sexually Exploited Girls and Women

Bibliographic Data

ID11040264
AuthorsMazeda Hossain (0000-0002-1878-8145, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine), C Zimmerman (0000-0002-7815-4320), Melanie Abas (0000-0003-1716-5584), Miriam Light, Charlotte Watts (0000-0003-0517-6550)
Year2010
Volume100
Issue12
Pages2442-2449
Publication date2010-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-0036 • E-ISSN: 1541-0048
PublisherAmerican Public Health Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2105/ajph.2009.173229
PMID20966379
PMCIDPMC2978168
OpenAlexW2170255446
LanguageEN
Citations received105
References cited34

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

Anxiety · Anxiety disorder · Depression (economics) · Logistic regression · Medical emergency · Mental health · Mood · Mood disorders · Odds ratio · Poison control · Psychiatry · Sexual abuse · Suicide prevention · Clinical Psychology · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk · Medicine · Psychology · Sex work and related issues · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology

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