Sex-trafficked individuals endure extreme traumatization, which disrupts brain development and engenders mental health struggles. One response can be reflexive and repetitive thinking about the trauma, through patterns of rumination. The purpose of this research project was to explore psychological rigidity in thought patterns of formerly sex-trafficked youth. Thematic coding of responses on the Rotter’s Incomplete Sentence Blank (RISB) provided a quantitative and qualitative understanding of rumination. Dysregulated activity of the prefrontal cortex and activation of negative emotion centers in the brain can induce negative thoughts and repetitive thinking. For women, interpersonal stressors and social anxiety can lead to rumination, which can be found in a context of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Participants included 22 female adolescents (aged 14 to 18) who were formerly sex trafficked. Rumination was measured by coding the RISB for negativity, repetition, and reference to trauma. Anxiety and depression were measured by the Anxiety and Depression Beck Youth Inventories. Rumination scores correlated with anxiety, r(18) = .50, p = .025, and depression, r(18) = .68, p = .001, which lends credibility to the thematic coding of rumination used in this study. Negativity was especially prominent in the RISB responses, with themes of anger/frustration as well as deep longings for things to be different. Projective measures, such as the RISB, can allow service providers to assess rumination, thus elucidating clients’ core beliefs. Attendees will learn potential ways to intervene when they detect themes of rumination in formerly sex trafficked adolescents, including patterns of negative thinking, repeated thoughts, and references to trauma.
Trigger Warning: This presentation contains information (written, spoken, or visual) that may be triggering or (re)traumatizing to attendees.
Analisa Bublitz is a Clinical Psychology PhD student at Fuller Theological Seminary. She earned her BA in Psychology from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. At Fuller, Analisa’s masters project and dissertation research have both been centered around trauma and neuropsychology.
Oladipo Adedeji is a PhD student in Clinical Psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary. He earned his MS in Pastoral Counseling from Loyola University Maryland. Oladipo researches learning, memory, and resilience in sex trafficked youth.
Adriana Cantero is a PsyD student in Clinical Psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary. Adriana earned her BA in Political Science from UCLA, and has MAs in Law, Politics and Policy, and in Social Work. At Fuller, Adriana researches complex trauma and resilience in youth with histories of sex trafficking.
Trevor Melton is a PhD student in Clinical Psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary. He earned his BA in Psychology from Lee University and his MA in Clinical Psychology from Fuller Theological Seminary. At Fuller, Trevor researches technology and attention in child and adolescent populations.