Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations.
This study will provide knowledge for OTs in the United States about how OTs can potentially assist survivors to reintegrate into society as well as how OT can contribute to the prevention efforts in the antitrafficking movement. Increased understanding of OTs' role in providing services to human-trafficking survivors will contribute to the advancement of care provision to human-trafficking survivors overall.
Primary Author and Speaker: Sarbinaz Bekmuratova
Contributing Authors: Nicole Amato, Taran Pottebaum, Amanda Ruether, Madeline Smith, and Monica Williams
PURPOSE: Human trafficking has been recognized as both public health and human rights issues worldwide. Women and girls are primarily affected by human trafficking and it is important that all disciplines of the societies join the anti-trafficking efforts to tackle this human rights ailment. Despite the limited research supporting the role of occupational therapists in addressing the needs of survivors (Poupard, 2013; Snider, 2012), the role of occupational therapists in working with similar trauma populations are well documented in the literature with the populations such as those who experienced domestic violence, homelessness, combat-related PTSD and large-scale disasters such as a hurricane or terrorist attack (AOTA, 2011; Davis & Kutter, 1998; Waldman-Levi & Weintraub, 2014). Occupational therapists are in the position to potentially have a significant effect in addressing the long-term needs of HT survivors, particularly in regard to community reintegration. Although occupational therapists have a profound potential to impact the lives of human trafficking survivors through patient-centered care as well as advocacy efforts (Gorman & Hatkevich, 2016), the role of occupational therapists in human trafficking is currently unknown. In an effort to address the gap in the current evidence, the study aimed to explore the community reintegration of human trafficking survivors in the context of occupational therapy.
DESIGN: We used a qualitative inductive approach with occupational therapy professionals in the state of Nebraska.
METHODS: Interviews were conducted with eight currently practicing occupational therapy professionals in the state of Nebraska. The interview guide was developed by the research team and interviews lasted approximately 60 minutes. The primary investigator conducted all interviews both in person and via phone from October through November 2019 at Creighton University in Nebraska. The interviews were audio-recorded and were transcribed using Zoom. The interviews were analyzed by all six members of the research team and content analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data.
RESULTS: Overall, five themes emerged from the qualitative data analyses. They included (1) awareness and knowledge of occupational therapists on human trafficking, (2) occupational therapists' role and experience in rehabilitation of human trafficking survivors, (3) occupational therapists' role in the prevention of human trafficking, (4) potential aspects and areas of community reintegration that occupational therapists can address, and (5) perceived potential challenges for occupational therapists in working with human trafficking in their practice.
CONCLUSION: The findings of the study suggest that there is a need to provide education on the role of occupational therapists in assisting human trafficking survivors. The study implies that occupational therapists' services are needed for the human trafficking survivors and that occupational therapists should be part of interdisciplinary teams that address the complex needs of human trafficking survivors in order to provide holistic and comprehensive care for them. This exploratory research study has implications for research providing directions for future large scale research that will advance the care for human trafficking survivors.
References
Gorman, K.W., & Hatkevich, B.A. (2016). The issue is—Role of occupational therapy in combating human trafficking. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 70, 7006360010. http://dx.doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2016.016782
Waldman-Levi, A., & Weintraub, N. (2014). Efficacy of a crisis intervention in improving mother–child interaction and children’s play functioning. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 69, 6901220020. http://dx.doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2015.013375
