Psychological consequences of child trafficking: An historical cohort study of trafficked children in contact with secondary mental health services

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dc.contributor.authorOttisova, L., Smith, P., Shetty, H., Stahl, D., Downs, J., & Oram, S.
dc.date.accessioned2018-04-05T19:07:50Z
dc.date.available2018-04-05T19:07:50Z
dc.date.issued2018
dc.description.abstractChild trafficking is the recruitment and movement of people aged younger than 18 for the purposes of exploitation. Research on the mental health of trafficked children is limited, and little is known about the use of mental health services by this group. This study aimed to investigate the mental health and service use characteristics of trafficked children in contact with mental health services in England. The study employed an historical cohort design. Electronic health records of over 250,000 patients were searched to identify trafficked children, and a matched cohort of non-trafficked children was randomly selected. Data were extracted on the socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, abuse history, and trafficking experiences of the trafficked children. Logistic and linear random effects regression models were fitted to compare trafficked and non-trafficked children on their clinical profiles and service use characteristics. Fifty-one trafficked children were identified, 78% were female. The most commonly recorded diagnoses for trafficked children were post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (22%) and affective disorders (22%). Records documented a high prevalence of physical violence (53%) and sexual violence (49%) among trafficked children. Trafficked children had significantly longer duration of contact with mental health services compared to non-trafficked controls (b = 1.66, 95% CI 1.09–2.55, p<0.02). No significant differences were found, however, with regards to pathways into care, prevalence of compulsory psychiatric admission, length of inpatient stays, or changes in global functioning. Child trafficking is associated with high levels of physical and sexual abuse and longer duration of contact with mental health services. Research is needed on most effective interventions to promote recovery for this vulnerable group.en_US
dc.identifier.citationOttisova, L., Smith, P., Shetty, H., Stahl, D., Downs, J., & Oram, S. (2018). Psychological consequences of child trafficking: An historical cohort study of trafficked children in contact with secondary mental health services. PLoS one, 13(3), e0192321.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0192321
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11212/3778
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherPLoS Oneen_US
dc.subjectInternational Resourcesen_US
dc.subjectUnited Kingdomen_US
dc.subjectdomestic minor sex traffickingen_US
dc.subjectservices utilizationen_US
dc.subjectmental health servicesen_US
dc.titlePsychological consequences of child trafficking: An historical cohort study of trafficked children in contact with secondary mental health servicesen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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