Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors Among Youth Victims of Human Trafficking

About This Grant

PROJECT TITLE Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors Among Youth Victims of Human Trafficking PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT Youth suicide is a significant public health concern in the United States. One population found to have higher rates of suicidal behavior are youth victims of human trafficking, a crime involving the exploitation of a person under the age of 18 for labor, services, or commercial sex. Minimal consideration has been given to the risk for suicide in youth victims of human trafficking. The few identified studies show up to 75% of youth victims of human trafficking endorsed lifetime suicide ideation and between 40% to 50% reported past suicide attempts. Evidence further suggests youth victims of human trafficking experience high rates of unmet physical and mental health needs, and that most health care providers are ill equipped to recognize and respond to these youth. The development of suicide prevention strategies tailored for youth victims of human trafficking is hampered by the limited evidence regarding risk in these highly vulnerable youth. Even less is known about successful approaches to implement these strategies. Victims of human trafficking represent an important understudied youth population that merits attention in the suicide prevention research. This proposed retrospective cohort study will uniquely identify characteristics (individual, familial, community) and clinical factors (mental health history, physical health conditions, health service utilization) that contribute to the risk for suicide among youth victims of human trafficking presenting to a juvenile court. Several states have implemented “Safe Harbor” laws that aim to avoid arrest and prosecution of trafficking victims, however many of these victims still find themselves involved with the legal system. Utilizing a mixed methods approach, this proposal will reinforce the interpretation of quantitative findings with data from key stakeholder interviews to gain additional insight on suicide risk in this youth population and to better inform targeted interventions. Consideration will be given to potential facilitators and barriers to intervention with youth human trafficking victims, including when, how, and where to intervene. This innovative study is the first to examine the complex array of factors linked to suicide risk in youth trafficking victims and to consider a systematic approach for translating these findings into tailored suicide prevention strategies for this high- risk population. The rationale for this research is that an improved understanding of youth victims of human trafficking at elevated risk for suicide is crucial to advance preventative interventions and reduce youth suicide.