{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,17]],"date-time":"2026-09-17T07:22:06Z","timestamp":1789629726243,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,20]],"date-time":"2026-04-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1776643200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100007911","name":"University of California, San Diego","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100007911","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychiatry"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Human trafficking is a priority concern in the U.S, but few research studies have investigated the nature and extent of its occurrence on U.S. college campuses nor strategies to stop it. The objective of this research was to identify its occurrence (force\/coercion\/fraud into sex exchanges for something of monetary or other value) among college students in San Diego County and Imperial Valley, California, where some of the highest documented rates of human trafficking occur nationally, and its implications for policy. Methods: College students (n = 971) from 12 campuses in Southern California responded to fliers posted on their campuses by completing online self-administered surveys. Results: Nearly one in five students (18%) surveyed reported experiencing human trafficking in college. In bivariate analyses, trafficked students were more likely to be BIPOC, LGBTQ, foster youth, fraternity\/sorority members, use illicit substances, experience abuse (physical, emotional, sexual, or being told to recruit others), transport\/sell drugs, perform labor, and exchange sex for grades\/schoolwork. Multiple logistic regression analyses (adjusting for age, sexual orientation, race) revealed those trafficked were more likely as college students to exchange sex across the U.S.-Mexico border (OR\u00a0=\u00a04.02; CI: 2.52-6.17), be inhibited to seek academic counseling (OR\u00a0=\u00a02.58; CI\u00a0=\u00a01.63-4.10), acquire a sexually transmitted infection (OR:1.63; CI: 1.04-2.57), wonder how they would afford their next meal (OR:1.20; CI: 1.03-1.40), and feel pressure from others (i.e., instructors, peers) to engage in sex (OR:2.69; CI:11.75-4.12). Conclusions: Strategies may need to: 1) expand Title IX implementation to encompass human trafficking\/sexual exploitation information at all universities, and 2) amend or introduce state laws mandating human trafficking prevention awareness training at schools to include colleges\/universities.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyt.2026.1773818","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,20]],"date-time":"2026-04-20T13:23:46Z","timestamp":1776691426000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Policy implications for halting human trafficking and sexual exploitation at U.S. colleges and universities: results from a 12-campus survey"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Lianne A.","family":"Urada","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego","place":["San Diego, CA, United States"]},{"name":"School of Social Work, San Diego State University","place":["San Diego, CA, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ashley","family":"Weitensteiner","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego","place":["San Diego, CA, United States"]},{"name":"School of Social Work, San Diego State University","place":["San Diego, CA, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2105\/AJPH.2019.305258","article-title":"Estimating the prevalence of human trafficking: Progress made and future directions","volume":"109","author":"Nemeth","year":"2019","journal-title":"Am J Public Health"},{"key":"B2","unstructured":"National Human Trafficking Hotline"},{"key":"B3","article-title":"Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000","volume-title":"Public Law 106-386, 114 Stat. 1464","year":"2000"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"191","DOI":"10.1521\/aeap.1996.8.3.191","article-title":"HIV risk behavior, street outreach, and condom use in eight high-risk populations","volume":"8","author":"Anderson","year":"1996","journal-title":"AIDS Educ Prev"},{"key":"B5","volume-title":"The nature and extent of gang involvement in sex trafficking in San Diego County","author":"Carpenter","year":"2016"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0886260514555133","article-title":"The trauma of commercial sexual exploitation of youth: A comparison of CSE victims to sexual abuse victims in a clinical sample","volume":"31","author":"Cole","year":"2016","journal-title":"J Interpersonal Violence"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1027\/00419-000","article-title":"I\u2019ll do whatever as long as you keep telling me that I\u2019m important: A case study illustrating the link between adolescent dating violence and sex trafficking victimization","volume":"6","author":"Rothman","year":"2015","journal-title":"J Appl Res Children"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/10538712.2016.1167802","article-title":"Prevalence and correlates of sex exchange among a nationally representative sample of adolescents and young adults","volume":"25","author":"Ulloa","year":"2016","journal-title":"J Child Sex Abus"},{"key":"B9","unstructured":"Human trafficking awareness guide for student leaders on college campuses"},{"key":"B10","volume-title":"Adolescence (7th ed.)","author":"Steinberg","year":"2009"},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0165025415581914","article-title":"Daily cortisol activity, loneliness, and coping efficacy in late adolescence: A longitudinal study of the transition to college","volume":"40","author":"Drake","year":"2016","journal-title":"Int J Behav Dev"},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/10437797.2020.1741478","article-title":"I\u2019m supposed to be helping others\u201d: Exploring food insecurity and homelessness for social work students","volume":"56","author":"Crutchfield","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Soc Work Educ"},{"key":"B13","article-title":"2019\u201320 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:20): First look at student financial aid estimates for 2019\u201320 (NCES 2023\u2013466)","volume-title":"U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics","author":"Cameron","year":"2023"},{"key":"B14","volume-title":"Assembly Bill 1227, 2017\u20132018 Regular Session: Human Trafficking Prevention Education and Training Act","year":"2017"},{"key":"B15","article-title":"Human trafficking on college campuses: What it looks like and resources for police, students","volume-title":"Campus Safety Magazine","author":"Rock","year":"2024"},{"key":"B16","unstructured":"National Human Trafficking Hotline. 2019 Data Report. 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