Mental health service responses to human trafficking: a qualitative study of professionals’ experiences of providing care

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorDomoney, J., Howard, L. M., Abas, M., Broadbent, M., & Oram, S.
dc.date.accessioned2015-12-16T16:54:05Z
dc.date.available2015-12-16T16:54:05Z
dc.date.issued2015
dc.description.abstractHuman trafficking is a global crime and human rights violation. Although research has demonstrated a high prevalence of mental disorder among trafficked people and that trafficked people are in contact with mental health services, little is known about mental health professionals’ experiences of identifying and providing care for trafficked people. This study aimed to understand how people are identified as trafficked within mental health services and the challenges professionals experience in responding to trafficked people’s mental health needs. Qualitative study of electronic health records of trafficked people in contact with secondary mental health services in South East London, England. Comprehensive clinical electronic health records for over 200,000 patients in contact with secondary mental health services in South London were searched and retrieved to identify trafficked patients. Content analysis was used to establish how people were identified as trafficked, and thematic analysis was used to explore the challenges experienced in responding to mental health needs. The sample included 130 trafficked patients, 95 adults and 35 children. In 43 % (41/95) of adult cases and 63 % (22/35) child cases, mental health professionals were informed that their patient was a potential victim of trafficking by another service involved in their patient’s care. Cases were also identified through patients disclosing their experiences of exploitation and abuse. Key challenges faced by staff included social and legal instability, difficulties ascertaining history, patients’ lack of engagement, availability of services, and inter-agency working. Training to increase awareness, encourage helpful responses, and inform staff about the available support options would help to ensure the mental health needs of trafficked people are met. Further research is needed to establish if these challenges are similar in other health settingsen_US
dc.identifier.citationDomoney, J., Howard, L. M., Abas, M., Broadbent, M., & Oram, S. (2015). Mental health service responses to human trafficking: a qualitative study of professionals’ experiences of providing care. BMC Psychiatry, 15, 289.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4650496/pdf/12888_2015_Article_679.pdf
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11212/2669
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherBMC Psychiatryen_US
dc.subjectInternational Resourcesen_US
dc.subjectUnited Kingdomen_US
dc.subjectMental healthen_US
dc.subjecthuman traffickingen_US
dc.subjectMental disorderen_US
dc.subjectresearchen_US
dc.subjectqualitativeen_US
dc.titleMental health service responses to human trafficking: a qualitative study of professionals’ experiences of providing careen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

Files

Collections

CALiO Collection of Resources