Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences
2019

Patterns of violence and coercion with mental health among female and male trafficking survivors: A latent class analysis with mixture models (Article)

Iglesias-Rios L.* , Harlow S.D. , Burgard S.A. , West B. , Kiss L. , Zimmerman C.
  • a Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Center for Midlife Science, University of Michigan, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029, United States
  • b Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Center for Midlife Science, University of Michigan, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029, United States
  • c Department of Sociology, College of Literature Science, and the Arts, University of Michigan, 500 S State St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States
  • d Survey Methodology Program, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, 46 Thompson St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, United States
  • e Department of Global Health and Development, Gender Violence and Health Centre, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 15-17 Tavistock Place, London, WC1H 9SH, United Kingdom
  • f Department of Global Health and Development, Gender Violence and Health Centre, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 15-17 Tavistock Place, London, WC1H 9SH, United Kingdom

Abstract

AimsHuman trafficking is a crime and a human rights violation that involves various and simultaneous traumatic events (sexual and physical violence, coercion). Yet, it is unknown how the patterning of violence and coercion affects the mental health of female and male trafficking survivors.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study using a sample of 1015 female and male survivors of trafficking who received post-trafficking assistance services in Cambodia, Thailand or Vietnam. We assessed symptoms of anxiety and depression with the Hopkins Symptoms Checklist and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire. Violence was measured with questions from the World Health Organization International Study on Women's Health. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify distinct patterns of violence and coercion in females and males. Novel multi-step mixture modelling techniques were employed to assess the association of the emergent classes with anxiety, depression and PTSD in females and males.ResultsLCA identified two distinct classes of violence and coercion experiences in females (class I: severe sexual and physical violence and coercion (20%); class II: sexual violence and coercion (80%)) and males (class I: severe physical violence and coercion (41%); class II: personal coercion (59%)). Females in class I had a two-fold increase in the odds of anxiety (OR = 2.10; 95% CI: 1.57-2.81) and PTSD (OR = 2.07; 95% CI: 1.03-4.17) compared with females in class II, but differences in the prevalence of anxiety, depression and PTSD were not significant when comparing males in class I to class II.ConclusionsSpecific patterns of violence and coercion provide a more in-depth understanding of the role of gender in the experience of violence and coercion and its association with mental health in survivors of trafficking. This information could be useful to target comprehensive mental health services for female and male trafficking survivors. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019.

Author Keywords

Human trafficking Mental health Latent class analysis Gender

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85066806356&doi=10.1017%2fS2045796019000295&partnerID=40&md5=d69488934430cf2aed1964f6340979f2
DOI: 10.1017/S2045796019000295
ISSN: 20457960
Original Language: English