Date of Conferral
2022
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Public Policy and Administration
Advisor
Marcel Kitissou
Abstract
Victims of human trafficking often need a variety of services to recover from their experiences. Service providers are organizations that aim to meet the personal and environmental needs of survivors by providing resources and guidance. However, the efficacy of services offered to survivors has not been robustly studied, which could leave unsuccessful survivor outcomes unnoticed. The purpose of this case study was to learn how service provider employees prepared to meet survivors’ needs. The combination of social cognitive theory and social constructionist theory served as the lens through which service provider employee conceptions of preparedness were explored. Four service provider organizations in Eastern Nebraska participated in the study, with seven employees completing the questionnaire and four completing the interview. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis and NVivo software. The research findings indicated that service provider employees described similar levels of preparedness with differences related to organizational strategies, their personal experiences and interactions with survivors, and various barriers and challenges. The results also showed that the environment may influence employees’ cognition and behavior and could predict a survivor’s choice to stay or leave a service provider’s care. Learning more about environmental influences on employee and survivor cognition and behavior may lead to positive social change through greater employee job satisfaction and more instances of successful survivor interactions and aid.
Recommended Citation
Engstrom, Aaron, "Conceptions of Service Provider Preparedness" (2022). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 12340.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/12340
