Date of Conferral

10-26-2026

Date of Award

October 2026

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Counselor Education and Supervision

Advisor

Melinda Haley

Abstract

Homelessness affects 553,742 people in the United States in 2017, particularly in Washington, District of Columbia. Housing instability, domestic issues, abuse, and neglect contribute to increased vulnerability to trafficking among transition aged youth (TAY). The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to determine whether homelessness, as measured by the Transition Age Youth-Vulnerability Index-Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool (TAY-VI-SPDAT), and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), as measured by the ACE Questionnaire, predicted vulnerability to human trafficking, as measured by the Quick Youth Indicators for Trafficking (QYIT), among transition-age youth (TAY). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs was the theoretical framework for this study. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to analyze survey data from a convenience sample of 93 homeless or at-risk of becoming homeless youth, as determined using G*Power analysis. Results indicated neither ACEs nor homelessness significantly predicted vulnerability to human trafficking, χ²(2) = 4.19, p = .123, Nagelkerke R² = .116. These findings add to the limited empirical literature by demonstrating that homelessness and ACEs were not significant predictors of trafficking vulnerability among TAY. Given the small convenience sample and nonsignificant results, the findings should be interpreted cautiously and should not be generalized beyond the study sample. Future research should continue to examine risk factors for trafficking vulnerability among TAY. These results may offer preliminary and exploratory insights for future researchers and may benefit case workers, service providers, and TAY.

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