Nightmares and flashbacks: The impact of commercial sexual exploitation of children among female adolescents placed in residential care

<p> <h3 id="x-x-sect0010"> Background </h3> <p id="x-x-spar0025"> Important unresolved questions remain concerning the specific vulnerabilities and intervention needs of female adolescents who experience commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), when compared to other highly vulnerable female adolescents. <h3 id="x-x-sect0015"> Objective </h3> <p id="x-x-spar0030"> This study aimed to assess differences in the level of post-traumatic symptoms reported by those who experienced CSEC during adolescence and those who did not. <h3 id="x-x-sect0020"> Participants and setting </h3> <p id="x-x-spar0035"> The study used longitudinal data collected from 125 French-speaking female adolescents who were placed in residential centers between the ages 12 and 17 years. <h3 id="x-x-sect0025"> Method </h3> <p id="x-x-spar0040"> Post-traumatic symptoms were assessed at Time 1 and Time 6, while CSEC involvement was assessed at Times 1-5. One-way ANOVAs were performed to inspect differences in the level of post-traumatic symptoms at Time 6 between the participants who reported CSEC during adolescence ( <em> n </em> = 70; 56.0%) and those with no history of CSEC ( <em> n </em> = 55; 44.0%). Hierarchical regressions examined the effects of CESC while controlling for age, immigration status, child sexual abuse, and post-traumatic symptoms reported at Time 1. <h3 id="x-x-sect0030"> Results </h3> <p id="x-x-spar0045"> CSEC during adolescence predicted higher levels of general post-traumatic symptoms, anxious arousal, intrusive experiences, defensive avoidance, and dissociation. <h3 id="x-x-sect0035"> Conclusions </h3> <p id="x-x-spar0050"> CSEC experiences intensify the existing vulnerabilities to traumatic sequelae that characterize female adolescents who are placed in residential care. </p> </p> </p> </p> </p> </p></p>