P0280 - Adolescent Behavioral Health Screening in a Pediatric Emergency Department: an Intimate Partner Violence and Human Trafficking Sub-Analysis

Background: Health care providers have long recognized that persons who experience intimate partner violence (IPV) and human trafficking (HT) are more likely to experience poor reproductive and behavioral health outcomes. Yet, few studies have examined the correlation of IPV and HT with reproductive and behavioral health risks.

Objectives:
1. To measure proportion positive of IPV and HT screens among adolescents in a pediatric emergency department (PED) based on a computerized survey.
2. To measure correlations between IPV and HT with other reproductive and behavioral risks.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study using a convenience sample of patients ages 13 to 21 years old presenting to a PED. Adolescents completed a computerized survey that included thirteen health-related social problems and received real-time resources. We assessed frequency of positive IPV and HT screens and identified correlates with other reproductive and behavioral health risks using Pearson Correlation Coefficients.

Results: 392 adolescents were screened for IPV and HT (mean age 16.0 years, SD +/-2.1; 62.5% female; 77.3% heterosexual; 67.6% non-Hispanic black race/ethnicity; Table 1). Thirty-two adolescents (8.16%) screened positive for IPV, 20 (5.10%) screened positive for sex trafficking, and no adolescents screened positive for labor trafficking. Six (1.53%) adolescents screened positive for both IPV and sex trafficking. Although positively correlated, IPV was not as strongly correlated to reproductive and behavioral health risks as was anticipated (substance abuse (r=0.29), sex trafficking (r=0.18), STIs (r=0.18), legal concerns (r=0.16), and food insecurity (r=0.14)) (Table 2). The strongest correlations with sex trafficking included legal concerns (r=0.57) and substance abuse (r=0.43). Housing instability (r=0.28), food insecurity (r=0.26), injury prevention concerns (r=0.23), STIs (r=0.19), and IPV (r=0.18) resulted in weak correlations with sex trafficking.

Conclusions: IPV and sex trafficking are prevalent in our community and are correlated with multiple health-related social concerns. Screening for IPV, sex trafficking, and other reproductive and behavioral risks is important in the PED and allows for real-time interventions and linkage to community resources. Future efforts for quality improvement screens and interventions should be conducted to support adolescents.