PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Jon A. Shaw
AU  - John E. Lewis
AU  - Harvey A. Chitiva
AU  - Andrew R. Pangilinan
TI  - Adolescent Victims of Commercial Sexual Exploitation versus Sexually Abused Adolescents
DP  - 2017 Sep 01
TA  - Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online
PG  - 325--331
VI  - 45
IP  - 3
4099  - http://jaapl.org/content/45/3/325.short
4100  - http://jaapl.org/content/45/3/325.full
SO  - J Am Acad Psychiatry Law2017 Sep 01; 45
AB  - We have discovered in our clinical review that sexually abused girls have significantly better therapeutic outcomes than girls who have been victims of sex trafficking. Thus, we compared the mental health records of 25 adolescent female victims of commercial sexual exploitation with a group of 25 girls with a history of sexual abuse matched for age. Exclusion criteria included IQ <70, organicity, and psychosis. Victims of sexual exploitation were more likely to be in foster care; to have arrests, suspensions from school, and a history of running away; to abuse drugs; to be more impaired in social and school activities; to be withdrawn and depressed; to manifest social and thought problems and aggressive and rule-breaking behaviors; and to have a diagnosis of mood or conduct disorder or both. The results of this study suggest that the psychopathology of girl victims of sexual exploitation is markedly different from that of sexually abused girls.