Disordered Eating Among Sex Trafficking Survivors: An Application of Objectification Theory to Experiences of Extreme Objectification

Objective: Substantial evidence demonstrates the physical, mental, and social health disparities experienced by sex trafficking survivors (STSs) in the United States. The limited exploration of disordered eating symptomology in STSs is a notable gap in understanding their health needs, especially considering the known link between exposure to trauma and disordered eating. One purpose of this study was to document the occurrence of disordered eating in a sample of STSs. This study also examined the unique effect of the sex trafficking experience, separate from other traumas, in explaining disordered eating directly and indirectly through mechanisms of self-objectification, including self-surveillance and body shame. Method: Survey data related to sex trafficking status, disordered eating, self-surveillance, body shame, and discrimination were collected from 180 nontrafficked women and 113 trafficked women. Results: Findings reveal that STSs reported higher rates of disordered eating than their nontrafficked counterparts, with 74% of STSs demonstrating clinically significant disordered eating. Additionally, when controlling for general trauma and subjective socioeconomic status, trafficking status, self-surveillance, and body shame explained 56% of the variance in disordered eating. Conclusions: These results have implications for future research and clinical work with STSs, which will be instrumental in mitigating the impact of the sex trafficking epidemic plaguing women in the United States.