Examining Individual and Contextual Correlates of Victimization for Juvenile Human Trafficking in Florida.

Despite extant literature on individual-level risk factors for sex trafficking among children and adolescents, little is known about the impact of social and ecological contexts on risk of human trafficking victimization. The purpose of this study was to examine the correlates signaling risk of human trafficking victimization at the individual, family, social, and community levels utilizing a sample of 40,531 justice-involved male and female youth, a small fraction of whom were suspected or verified victims of human trafficking between 2011 and 2015 (N = 801, including 699 female and 102 male youth). Using this sample, we examined differences across individual, family, social, and community characteristics of youth involved in the juvenile justice system who have a history of trafficking victimization and youth without such histories. Series of logistic regression analyses were conducted using varying control groups, created through exact matching and randomized matching groups to address sample imbalances. These analyses indicate that, at the individual level, youth who had experienced childhood adversities were more likely to report human trafficking victimization. Sex differences were found regarding risk factors pertaining to the family and broader socio-ecological contexts. Female youth who had witnessed family violence had an antisocial partner or antisocial friends, or resided in a community with a greater proportion of the population being foreign-born or speaking English less than very well were at heightened risk for human trafficking victimization. Little evidence was found for community-level risk factors of victimization in this specific sample of justice-involved youth. These findings encourage more research to unpack the multilevel correlates of victimizations at the individual, family, social, and community levels, recognizing potential differences between female and male youth regarding the factors that put them at heightened risk for juvenile sex trafficking victimizations. Practice and policy should direct awareness and prevention measures to social and ecological contexts.

A Network Approach to Examining Co-occurring Victimization and Perpetration in Dating Abuse Among a Nationally Representative Sample of US Adolescents.

PURPOSE: Adolescent dating abuse (ADA) is a public health issue. Adolescents may experience victimization, engage in perpetration, or both. This study explores the co-occurrences of ADA victimization and perpetration, specifically examining which experiences and behaviors are most likely to co-occur and whether these vary by gender. METHODS: Data came from a nationally representative sample of 807 adolescents between the ages of 11 and 21 years in the United States who reported on at least one relationship in the past year through the Measure of Adolescent Relationship Harassment and Abuse (MARSHA). Using this sample, we applied network analysis to depict each ADA type as a "node" in a network where it was directly or indirectly associated with other types of victimization and perpetration. This network approach allowed for an empirical understanding of the patterns of victimization and perpetration co-occurrences. RESULTS: Findings demonstrate multiple associations between victimization and perpetration, which were present to a greater extent among male adolescents. The results reveal clusters of co-occurring victimization and perpetration within the domains of (1) cyber and emotional ADA and (2) physical and emotional ADA. A diverse range of victimization experiences (e.g., sexual victimization) did not typically co-occur with perpetration. DISCUSSION: The results suggest that ADA identification and specialized services require a nonbinary approach to address victims and perpetrators' trauma and abusive behaviors. Detection of certain ADA types, especially controlling behaviors within the cyber domain, can help identify and prevent a wide range of other ADA types that tend to co-occur.

Understanding factors associated with re-referral of youth for commercial sexual exploitation.

BACKGROUND: Since the passage of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Prevention Act of 2000 in the United States, awareness has increased about the problem of commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC). Moreover, United States Federal law calls upon child welfare agencies to establish policies and practices that help identify and provide services to minors at risk of CSEC. Although awareness has increased about the problem of CSEC, little attention has been paid to understanding why some youths are re-referred to CSEC programs after initial referral and intervention. OBJECTIVE: The present study examines which factors drive re-referrals of youths for CSEC concerns. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Data about a population of high-risk youths (n = 416) referred to a CSEC-specific program in the Northeast of the United States between 2011 and 2018. METHODS: Using logistic regression analyses, we investigate what factors are associated with youth having multiple referrals. RESULTS: Youths with multiple referrals were more likely to have histories of missing from care (OR = 2.996, p < 0.001), substance misuse (OR = 2.802, p < 0.01), and greater agency involvement (OR = 1.260, p < 0.05). However, youths with multiple referrals were not at heightened risk of CSEC as compared to youths that were not re-referred. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrate that re-referred youths meet the profile of a victim as depicted on screening and assessment instruments, which has important implications for victim services and referral systems dedicated to identifying CSEC and protecting youths who may experience re-victimization for CSEC.

The Impact of Childhood Abuse on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Youth: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Scholars and practitioners have drawn attention to the issue of commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) of minors, yet we continue to lack a clear understanding of which factors increase a minor's risk to this type of victimization. The current article reviews the literature about the impact of sexual, physical, or emotional abuse on the risk of CSE. The study utilizes quantitative meta-analytical techniques to estimate an overall impact of prior abuse. Nineteen studies were selected after a comprehensive search of electronic databases covering the fields of social science, criminology, psychology, or related fields. To be included in the analyses, all articles had to measure the direct impact of sexual, physical, and/or emotional abuse on minor's risk to CSE, utilizing multivariate techniques and presenting statistical metrics to assess the impact of prior abuse. Key findings demonstrate that sexual abuse considerably increases the risk of exploitation, especially among female youth in the United States. Physical and emotional abuse show negligible or no significant independent impacts, even though a few studies have begun to suggest that experiencing multiple types of childhood abuse may aggravate a risk of sexual exploitation. Our findings can guide further research on the impact of prior victimizations and inform screening instruments that are being developed to identify youth at risk of CSE.

Enhancing the Identification of Commercial Sexual Exploitation Among a Population of High-Risk Youths Using Predictive Regularization Models.

Despite an increasing awareness about the existence and harms of commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), the identification of victims remains a challenge for practitioners, hindering their ability to provide appropriate services. Tools that gauge risk of CSEC support the identification of victims but are underdeveloped because most tools assess risk of CSEC within a general youth population. An understanding of what predicts actual CSEC victimizations among youths at higher risk of CSEC due to experiences of childhood adversities has been left unassessed. Research in this area is limited in part because traditional methods do not allow for an assessment of the unique impact of childhood adversities that tend to co-occur. To address these difficulties, the current study applied predictive regularization methods to identify the most decisive risk items for CSEC. Proximal risk of CSEC was assessed among 317 youths who were referred to a specialized program in the Northeast of the United States due to suspicion of CSEC. With an innovative methodological approach, this study seeks to prompt other scholars to examine risk utilizing novel techniques and provides a foundation for the development of concise tools that assess risk of CSEC among populations of youths at higher levels of risk.