The Association Between Exposure to Childhood Adversities and Later-Life Mental Health Symptoms of Survivors of Human Trafficking in Ghana: the Moderating Role of Perceived Social Support

Simple item page
dc.contributorSmith, Brenda D
dc.contributorOkech, David O
dc.contributorLeeper, James
dc.contributorJohnson, Karen
dc.contributor.advisorCarlson, Catherine E
dc.contributor.authorNkwanzi, Violet
dc.date.accessioned2023-08-03T18:42:35Z
dc.date.available2028-06-01
dc.date.issued2023
dc.descriptionElectronic Thesis or Dissertationen_US
dc.description.abstractHuman trafficking is a significant public health concern affecting approximately 49.6 million people worldwide (International Labor Organization, 2021). The adverse consequences of trafficking extend to individuals, their families, and communities, impacting victims' and survivors' physical and mental health (Zimmerman et al., 2008). This study focuses on understanding the mental health challenges of survivors of human trafficking in Ghana and the impact of childhood vulnerabilities and if social support plays a protective role. This study fills a significant gap in the literature on the mental health of survivors of human trafficking, particularly within sub-Saharan Africa, where very little research exists with this population and trafficking experiences and childhood adversities are culturally unique. The present study used secondary data obtained from the Lifeline in Ghana study. The study sample constituted 98 female survivors of human trafficking who had participated in the Lifeline program between 2010 and 2015. Pearson correlation and multivariate linear regression analyses were performed using SPSS ver 28.0 to assess for the relationship and association between experiences of childhood vulnerabilities (ECV), anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and "process Macro" extension regression models were performed to assess for the moderation effects of Perceived social support (PSS) on the relationship between ECV and these mental health symptoms in this population. Results from the study show significant positive associations between experiences of childhood vulnerabilities and symptoms of depression and PTSD, and social support plays a significant role in reducing depression symptoms. That in and of itself is an important finding because most research on mental health outcomes of survivors of human trafficking tends to focus on their trafficking experiences. But the current study shows that things they were exposed to even before their trafficking experience contribute to mental health challenges. Moreover, the findings suggest several future programming, research, and policy directions.en_US
dc.format.mediumelectronic
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.otherhttp://purl.lib.ua.edu/187864
dc.identifier.otheru0015_0000001_0004686
dc.identifier.otherNkwanzi_alatus_0004D_15206
dc.identifier.urihttps://ir.ua.edu/handle/123456789/10499
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherUniversity of Alabama Libraries
dc.relation.hasversionborn digital
dc.relation.ispartofThe University of Alabama Electronic Theses and Dissertations
dc.relation.ispartofThe University of Alabama Libraries Digital Collections
dc.rightsAll rights reserved by the author unless otherwise indicated.
dc.subjectChildhood vulberabilities
dc.subjectHuman trafficking in Africa
dc.subjectMental health
dc.subjectSurvivors of human trafficking
dc.titleThe Association Between Exposure to Childhood Adversities and Later-Life Mental Health Symptoms of Survivors of Human Trafficking in Ghana: the Moderating Role of Perceived Social Supporten_US
dc.typethesis
dc.typetext
etdms.degree.departmentUniversity of Alabama. School of Social Work
etdms.degree.disciplineSocial work
etdms.degree.grantorThe University of Alabama
etdms.degree.leveldoctoral
etdms.degree.namePh.D.
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
u0015_0000001_0004686.pdf
Size:
1.07 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download
Collections
Theses and Dissertations