Long-term mental health, victimization, and behavioral consequences associated with human sex trafficking

Human sex trafficking represents a pressing social problem that has garnered a significant amount of attention. A great deal of research has focused on key issues related to human sex trafficking, including factors associated with being trafficked and where human sex trafficking is most likely to occur. A body of research has also examined some of the potential consequences associated with being a victim of human sex trafficking. The current study adds to these findings by analyzing unique self-reported data to examine whether human sex trafficking in adolescence is associated with adulthood depression, suicidal ideation, intimate partner violence victimization, and criminal involvement. To do so, data drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) were analyzed. The results revealed statistically significant associations between four human sex trafficking measures and the outcome measures for males and females. However, these associations were somewhat inconsistent, relatively small in magnitude, and the patterns of significance varied between males and females. We conclude by discussing limitations of the study and offering avenues for future research on human sex trafficking.