Michelle Villani & Nydia J Rolá½¹n
The College of Saint Elizabeth, USA
Title: Childhood PTSD triggers: Human trafficking, domestic violence and immigration; unique interventions to reduce symptomatology
Biography
Biography: Michelle Villani & Nydia J Rolá½¹n
Abstract
The following presentation will focus on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in child victims of human trafficking as well
as children secondarily exposed through parental victimization. Human trafficking victims may be forced into prostitution
or sex work; they may be sexually assaulted and/or controlled through domestic violence practices to continue the sex work.
Children of parental victims may develop secondary PTSD as a result of exposure to such trauma. For many children, exposure
to such sexual and/or domestic violence is highly traumatic, and their reactions are similar to children's reactions to other
traumatic stressors. This presentation will provide an overview of the direct and secondary effects of trauma these children and
adolescents experience. Immediate effects of exposure to such trauma- directly and secondarily- will be discussed as well as
the long term effects of PTSD well into adulthood if left untreated. The presentation will discuss unique interventions to treat
children and adolescents suffering from PTSD resulting from such types of trauma. The presentation will conclude discussing
current difficulties present within the United States regarding families who reside in the country illegally and/or those on
green card status. This part of the presentation will focus on anxiety symptoms children can develop secondarily as a result
of witnessing their parents’ anxiety regarding deportment. PTSD symptoms in children resulting from exposure to human
trafficking/domestic violence and anxiety symptoms resulting from secondary witnessing of deportment concerns will be
compared. Interventions to reduce symptomatology in both areas will be shared with the audience.