Date of Conferral

2020

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Health Services

Advisor

Denise Rizzolo

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the perceived barriers to pediatric emergency room (ER) providers’ identifying boys as victims of child sex trafficking (CST), to understand how providers working in a pediatric ER compared to a general ER believe they are better able to identify boys as CST victims, and to understand how the New Jersey-mandated human trafficking training affected the confidence of the healthcare providers’ to identify boys as CST victims using a grounded theory approach. In-depth interviews were conducted using a sample of 10 healthcare providers, including physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants at a suburban New Jersey pediatric ER. A grounded theory approach was used with this qualitative exploratory study; thematic content analysis was used to identify core themes and categories regarding the providers’ attitudes, internal thoughts, and experiences that trigger the identification of boys as victims of CST. Overall, eleven themes were identified associated with healthcare providers’ perceptions of their ability to recognize a boy as a victim of CST including but not limited to issues related to the lack of recognition of signs and symptoms of boys as victims of CST, communication with the child, continued provider educational needs, the busy ER environment, and to boys are not recognized as victims of CST. The implications for positive social change include the need for researchers and healthcare providers to broaden their scope to change their views that only girls are victims of CST. They should consider that all children regardless of age, sex, race, and sexual orientation can be victims of CST.

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