TY - JOUR
T1 - Risk profiles of suicide attempts among girls with histories of commercial sexual exploitation
T2 - A latent class analysis
AU - Meza, Jocelyn I.
AU - Godoy, Sarah M.
AU - Nguyen, Phuc T.
AU - Perris, Georgia E.
AU - Barnert, Elizabeth S.
AU - Bath, Eraka P.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023
PY - 2023/3
Y1 - 2023/3
N2 - Background: Girls impacted by commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) in the juvenile legal system are three times more likely to have suicide attempts than girls without histories of exploitation. Yet, research on risk profiles and correlates that contribute to elevated suicide risk among girls with CSE histories remains scant. Objective: We sought to examine suicide attempts profiles among CSE-impacted girls in the juvenile legal system. Participants and setting: We partnered with a specialty court for CSE-impacted youth in Los Angeles County. Methods: Data were collected from case files of the 360 girls participating in the court from 2012 to 2016. Latent class analysis was used to identify their profiles of risk indicators. Results: Four risk profiles for suicide attempts emerged: (1) Parental Incarceration (PI; 30 %), (2) Child Welfare Contact (CWC; 25 %), (3) Disruptive Behavior and Sleep Problems (DBS; 25 %), and (4) Pervasive Risk (PR; 22 %). Among youth in the PI group, 5 % had a suicide attempt; however, contrary to our hypothesis, no youth in the CWC group had a suicide attempt. Rates of suicide attempt were significantly higher among youth in the DBS group, as 14 % had a suicide attempt. As hypothesized, youth in the PR were associated with higher risk of suicide attempts, with 28 % reporting a prior suicide attempt. Conclusions: Findings underscore the need for standardized suicide screenings and treatment referrals for girls with CSE histories and suggest an important opportunity for multidisciplinary collaboration with courts to improve suicide prevention strategies. The present study also supports the importance of examining risk across the socioecological context.
AB - Background: Girls impacted by commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) in the juvenile legal system are three times more likely to have suicide attempts than girls without histories of exploitation. Yet, research on risk profiles and correlates that contribute to elevated suicide risk among girls with CSE histories remains scant. Objective: We sought to examine suicide attempts profiles among CSE-impacted girls in the juvenile legal system. Participants and setting: We partnered with a specialty court for CSE-impacted youth in Los Angeles County. Methods: Data were collected from case files of the 360 girls participating in the court from 2012 to 2016. Latent class analysis was used to identify their profiles of risk indicators. Results: Four risk profiles for suicide attempts emerged: (1) Parental Incarceration (PI; 30 %), (2) Child Welfare Contact (CWC; 25 %), (3) Disruptive Behavior and Sleep Problems (DBS; 25 %), and (4) Pervasive Risk (PR; 22 %). Among youth in the PI group, 5 % had a suicide attempt; however, contrary to our hypothesis, no youth in the CWC group had a suicide attempt. Rates of suicide attempt were significantly higher among youth in the DBS group, as 14 % had a suicide attempt. As hypothesized, youth in the PR were associated with higher risk of suicide attempts, with 28 % reporting a prior suicide attempt. Conclusions: Findings underscore the need for standardized suicide screenings and treatment referrals for girls with CSE histories and suggest an important opportunity for multidisciplinary collaboration with courts to improve suicide prevention strategies. The present study also supports the importance of examining risk across the socioecological context.
KW - Adolescents
KW - Child sex trafficking
KW - Judicial system
KW - Juvenile legal system
KW - Specialty court
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U2 - 10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106036
DO - 10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106036
M3 - Article
C2 - 36680963
AN - SCOPUS:85148713859
SN - 0145-2134
VL - 137
JO - Child Abuse and Neglect
JF - Child Abuse and Neglect
M1 - 106036
ER -