Risk Factors and Indicators for Commercial Sexual Exploitation/Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking of Adolescent Girls in the United States in the Context of School Nursing: An Integrative Review of the Literature

Abstract

As trusted health care providers in the school setting, school nurses are positioned uniquely to identify children at risk for or victims of commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC). Nevertheless, many victims go unrecognized and unaided due to inadequate provider education on victim identification. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the major risk factors for CSEC of girls aged 12–18, the largest group of CSEC victims in the United States. A search of four databases (Web of Science, CINAHL, PsychINFO, and PubMed) yielded 21 articles with domestic focus, published in English between January 2014 and May 2020. While childhood maltreatment trauma was found most relevant, a variety of other risk factors were identified. Future nursing research is called to address the numerous research gaps identified in this review that are crucial for the development of policies and procedures supporting school nurses in recognizing victims quickly and intervening appropriately.

Caracterización de las relaciones sexuales adolescentes

“…Asimismo, se destaca el papel de los enfermeros escolares en la creación y potenciación de espacios para impulsar la salud en la escuela, valorizando la educación sexual, la participación en la planificación y desarrollo de actividades curriculares en conjunto con docentes y coordinadores, además de la comunicación con los estudiantes, padres, familias y comunidad (37) , asesoramiento en temas relacionados a la orientación sexual y asistencia a adolescentes pertenecientes a minorías sexuales y de género (38) , identificación de niños y adolescentes en riesgo o víctimas de explotación sexual (39) , así como la implementación de medidas para la prevención del consumo de alcohol, tabaco y drogas, y reconocimiento y orientación para realizar un tratamiento adecuado en los adolescentes consumidores de sustancias psicoactivas (40) .…”

Characterization of adolescent sexual practices

“…Also, the role of school nurses in creating and enhancing spaces for health promotion at school is highlighted, with the appreciation of sex education, participation in the planning and development of curricular activities in conjunction with teachers and coordinators, in addition to communication with students, parents, families and the community 37 , counseling on issues related to sexual orientation and care for adolescents belonging to sexual and gender minorities 38 , identification of children and adolescents at risk or victims of commercial sexual exploitation 39 , as well as the implementation of measures to prevent alcohol, tobacco and drug consumption, and the identification and referral of adolescents who use substances for treatment 40 .…”

Coping strategies and stressors of nursing students in the care of sex trafficking victims

“…Based on the literature, the inability to adequately respond to patient care issues and their concern for receiving low grades are two of the highest sources of stress in clinical training (Bhurtun et al 2021;D'emeh & Yacoub 2021;Hamaideh et al 2017), which could partially explain these findings. Regarding the focus of this study, it is known that nurses frequently interact with sex trafficking victims, playing a fundamental role in the fight against this global health problem (Twigg 2017); however, many victims go unnoticed and do not receive the care they need due to the inadequate training of professionals (Jaeckl & Laughon 2021). Therefore, it may be that the lack of support and orientation from teachers in undergraduate training to identify and provide quality care to sex trafficking victims raise students' concerns about patient care and bad grades, increasing their levels of 'stress related to teachers and nursing staff' post-intervention.…”