Abstract
The purpose of the study is to identify occupational performance problems self-identified by survivors of human trafficking to further understand the occupational needs of this population. Social and emotional health promotion and maintenance, leisure exploration and participation, sleep preparation and participation, financial management, and symptom and condition management were the most commonly identified occupational performance problems.
Primary Author and Speaker: Rebecca Marie Wangberg
Additional Authors and Speakers: Shana Cerny
The purpose of the study is to identify occupational performance problems self-identified by survivors of human trafficking to further understand the occupational needs of this population. Human trafficking survivors are likely to experience occupational deprivation and occupational performance problems which can result in limited engagement in activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), social participation, sleep and rest, work, and education (Cerny, 2019; Thompson et al., 2020). This study uses a retrospective cross-sectional design with an existing data set. The study is retrospective as data was previously collected as part of the OT evaluation at a nonprofit human trafficking organization. The cross-sectional design reflects the nature of the collected data, as it is reflective of the specific time of initial evaluation. The data set included 77 initial and 27 re-assessments of the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure. Only 74 initial assessments and 27 re-assessments were used for analysis. The data collected on these assessments included the occupational performance problem, the importance rating, and the performance and satisfaction rating. Each assessment contained two to five occupational performance problems. There were 428 occupational performance problems in the data set. There were categorized according to the occupations outlined in the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain & Process, 4th Ed (AOTA, 2020). All areas of occupation were represented by the data set; most common occupational performance problems included social and emotional health promotion and maintenance (n = 57), leisure exploration/participation (n = 52), sleep preparation and participation (n = 49), financial management (n = 49), and symptom and condition management (n = 42). The results of this study outline the functional impairments associated with human trafficking by specifying the occupational performance problem of survivors. In addition to treating physical and mental health manifestations of trauma, we must address the challenges survivors experience in everyday living.
Cerny, S., Maassen, A., & Crook, K. (2019). Occupational therapy intervention for survivors of human trafficking. Occupational Therapy in Mental Health, 35(3), 287–299. https://doi.org/10.1080/0164212X.2018.1557579
Thompson, T., Flick, J., & Thinnes, A. (2020). Occupational injustice and human trafficking. Occupational therapy’s role. OT Practice Magazine, 25(1). https://www.aota.org/Publications-News/otp.aspx
American Occupational Therapy Association. (2020). Occupational therapy practice framework: Domain and process (4th ed.). American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74, 7412410010. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.74S2001