Sleep Disturbances and Hygiene of Adolescent Female Survivors of Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking

Abstract

Introduction: This cross-sectional quantitative study investigated the sleep hygiene and disturbances of adolescent female survivors of domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) compared to an online sample of community-dwelling adolescent females.

Method: Community-dwelling adolescent females (aged 13-17 years, n = 61) and survivors of DMST housed in residental care (aged 12-17 years, n = 19) completed the Children's Report of Sleep Patterns (adolescent version). Descriptive statistics on sleep health in both samples were computed and compared using chi-square and t-tests.

Results: Among the survivors of DMST, the majority reported insufficient sleep duration, okay-to-poor sleep quality, waking thirsty, and frequent nightmares. Compared with community-dwelling adolescents, survivors of DMST had more symptoms of insomnia, sleepiness, nightmares, and waking thirsty (p < .05).

Discussion: Sleep disturbances among adolescent female survivors of DMST may be more prevalent than in community-dwelling adolescent females. Further empirical research on appropriate assessment and trauma-informed treatment of sleep in this population is needed.

Keywords: Trauma symptoms; adolescent girls; child sex trafficking; sleep health; sleep hygiene.