Socioemotional Domains of Resilience and Semantic Clustering in Survivors of Commercial Sex Trafficking
Oladipo Adedeji, MS, LCPC, NCC & Justine M. Duyst, PsyD | September 22 | 3:15-4:15 pm
Topic: Research | Knowledge Level: Intermediate
Sex trafficking is a global pandemic that impacts 24.9 million people, including adolescents (Wiener et al., 2021). Few studies have observed cognitive, social, and emotional functioning in adolescents with histories of prostitution (Cecchet & Thoburn, 2014). Archival data from neuropsychological assessment batteries was used to answer the research question: Do participants with higher socioemotional resilience (i.e., higher self-concept and lower anxiety, depression, anger, and disruptive behavior) show stronger semantic clustering? Participants were 24 adolescent females referred to Fuller Psychological Family Services through a sex trafficking rescue agency to participate in neuropsychological testing and learn about their academic abilities. This study measured socioemotional resilience or the absence of negative social and emotional outcomes after exposure to distressing experiences using the Beck Youth Inventories – Second Edition (BYI-II) T scores. Semantic clustering, a verbal memory and learning strategy, was measured using the California Verbal Learning Test semantic clustering index z scores. The Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI) was used as a covariate. Results indicated participants’ average self-ratings of self-concept, anxiety, and depression were within normal limits. This indicated specific areas of socioemotional resilience. However, neither VCI nor the five socioemotional areas of resilience were associated with semantic clustering, even when controlling for VCI. The current study is one of the first to offer practitioners demographic and diagnostic information on resilience in adolescents who have been sex trafficked (Burnes et al., 2012; Marriot et al., 2014). However, studies using resilience measures and larger samples may provide practitioners more data on cognitive, social, and emotional functioning.
Presentation Objectives:
· Define the socioemotional domains of resilience and semantic clustering
· Provide an overview of the study, including main questions, methods, and findings
· Describe the implications and recommendations of the research