Citation

O'Brien JE. Child Abuse Negl. 2018; 81: 1-11.

Affiliation

Department of Social Work, The University of New Hampshire, Pettee Hall, Durham, NH 03824, United States. Electronic address: Jennifer.Obrien@unh.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.04.010

PMID

29689316

Abstract

Domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of U.S. minors for the purposes of a commercial sex act. DMST victims and survivors often become involved with state-level systems including the child welfare and/or juvenile justice systems. This study presents exploratory qualitative findings regarding the role of interpersonal relationships in the lives of system-involved DMST survivors from the perspectives of DMST survivors.

RESULTS indicate survivors perceive interpersonal relationships as key to promoting risk, providing protection, and fostering resiliency over DMST.

FINDINGS from the current study not only provide a context for understanding the role of interpersonal relationships in the lives of DMST survivors but also point to directions for development of interventions targeted toward this population.

Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Domestic minor sex trafficking; Interpersonal relationship; Qualitative; Risk and resiliency framework