Fostering Research Participation Among Sexual and Gender Minority Children and Youth Who Are Impacted By Commercial Sexual Exploitation: Results of a Mixed Method Study

Background: The commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) of children and youth is a public health issue; however, our understanding of the impact of this victimization is hindered by difficulties engaging impacted children and youth in research. This is particularly true among sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth, who are at an increased risk of CSE-victimization due to myriad of organizational, systemic oppressive practices and related traumas. As a result, there are many gaps in knowledge related to help-seeking, service engagement, and health outcomes for CSE-impacted SGM children and youth. To address this gap, current study explores CSE-impacted SGM children and youths’ perspectives on quantitative and qualitative research participation via online survey.

Method: Mixed-methods data were collected from 1272 SGM children and youth, 606 (47.6%) of whom were high risk for- or confirmed victims of- CSE. Social media recruitment was used to reach children and youth, and screener questions ensured participants met inclusion criteria.

Participants completed an anonymous online survey with questions on CSE, social determinants of health, help-seeking, and LGBTQ issues. Open-ended questions explored participant comfort during the survey and willingness to engage in a hypothetical qualitative study (e.g., If there were an opportunity to participate in a qualitative interview about these same topics, how likely would you be to participate?).

Survey data were aggregated and analyzed using descriptive statistics (e.g., M, SD, chi-square) to assess meaningful differences in participation comfort by demographics. Open-ended survey questions add nuance to quantitative findings and were analyzed using content analysis.

Result: Most survey participants (96.4%, n= 885) felt comfortable with quantitative data collection and stated that it was important to ask people like them questions about CSE and SGM experiences (88.6%; n=814). There were not statistically significant differences in comfort related to demographic factors.

Some participants noted discomfort answering questions about CSE and/or SGM experiences (30.6%; n=390). Qualitative responses from those participants revealed six overarching themes related to survey question discomfort including emotional reactions, past trauma, family issues, stigma, SGM-specific issues, and topic-specific personal connections. Participants noted that their discomfort was manageable using coping mechanisms available to them such as reaching out to trusted individuals and skipping questions they found distressing.

Participants were less interested in participating in qualitative research, with 52.9% stating they would not be interested in participating in qualitative interviews “at all.” Less interest was related to demographic factors such that younger participants and those with confirmed CSE-victimization were less likely to participate in qualitative data collection. Of those willing to engage in qualitative interviews (39.2%), participants noted that it would be important for researchers to address confidentiality, anonymity, awareness of CSE and SGM-related issues, and provide an interviewer reflective of individual preference.

Conclusion: This study explores CSE-impacted SGM children and youth’s perspectives on research participation. Results indicate that participants largely felt comfortable with quantitative data collection; however, had more concerns about engaging in qualitative research. Results provide important areas for researchers to address when designing studies seeking to engage this uniquely vulnerable and hidden population in research.