Prevalence estimates of trafficking in persons using statistical definitions: a cross-sectional high-risk community survey in Cape Town, South Africa.

OBJECTIVES: Current research on trafficking in persons (TIP) relies heavily on legal and prosecutorial definitions. A public health approach has called for population-level assessment; however, identification of TIP victims lacks a standardised operational definition. This study applied the Prevalence Reduction Innovation Forum (PRIF) statistical definitions, developed by the US Department of State, to a community survey in Cape Town, South Africa. DESIGNS: A high-risk sampling strategy was used. TIP screening questions from two instruments were matched with PRIF domain indicators to generate prevalence estimates. Sensitivity, specificity and receiver operating characteristics analyses were conducted to assess the performance of the two screeners. SETTING: Cross-sectional survey conducted in Cape Town, South Africa, from January to October 2021. PARTICIPANTS: South Africans and immigrants from other nations residing in Cape Town and its surrounding areas, aged 18 or older, who met the study inclusion criteria for a set of experiences that were identified as TIP risk factors. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcome measures were PRIF lifetime and past 12-month TIP positivity. Secondary outcome measures included individual and summary measures from the two screeners. RESULTS: Our PRIF algorithm yielded a TIP lifetime prevalence rate of 17.0% and past 12-month rate of 2.9%. Summary measures from each TIP screener showed an excellent range of predictive utility. The summary screener measures yielded statistically significant differences among some demographic and background categories. Several screener items were shown less predictive of the PRIF statistical definition criteria than others. CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence estimates of probable TIP were higher than those reported elsewhere. Our TIP screeners yielded an excellent range of predictive utility for the statistical definitions, promising the potential for wider applications in global and regional TIP research and policymaking. A more systematic sampling strategy is needed even if statistical definitions become widely used.

Corporal punishment and adolescent aggression: An examination of multiple intervening mechanisms and the moderating effects of parental responsiveness and demandingness.

BACKGROUND: Research on generational transmission of violence in general suggests that corporal punishment leads to children's aggressive behavior. However, less clear is the intervening mechanisms that link corporal punishment with adolescent aggression and the moderation on the intervening mechanisms. OBJECTIVES: This study examined the mediating role of negative emotions, endorsement of violence, and low self-control in the association between parental corporal punishment and adolescent aggression and investigated whether the intervening mechanisms operated differently according to different levels of parental responsiveness and demandingness. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Data from a sample (N = 1,635) of students in central China were used. The students were from 4 schools, aged between 12-18. METHODS: Conditional process analysis was performed to assess the moderated mediation. RESULTS: The relations of corporal punishment with adolescent aggression were partially mediated by adolescent's endorsement of violence (b = .027, p < .001), negative emotion (b = .028, p < .001), and low self-control (b = .008, p = .007). In addition, these indirect effects were moderated by parental responsiveness and demandingness. CONCLUSION: Our study adds further empirical credence in our collective effort to reduce adolescent aggressive behavior by banning corporal punishment as a disciplinary practice. Further, parenting programs by social welfare agencies should consider the important role of demandingness. Interventions could reduce adolescent aggression also by adolescent resilience development, improving one's self-control and management of negative emotion while cultivating moral beliefs disapprove of violence.

Drug Use and Multiple Sex Partners Among Homeless Ex-Offenders: Secondary Findings From an Experimental Study.

BACKGROUND: Transitioning into society after release from incarceration presents real challenges for male offenders; in California, up to 60% return to prison within 3 years after release. The risk for ongoing drug use and having sex with multiple partners is a significant challenge for ex-offenders preparing to enter the community. OBJECTIVES: The aims are to describe drug use and sexual behavior (sex with multiple partners) prior to incarceration and 6 and 12 months after study enrollment using data obtained as part of a randomized controlled trial. METHODS: This is a planned secondary analysis of data obtained as part of a randomized controlled trial designed to study the effects of intensive peer coaching and nurse case management, intensive peer coaching, and brief nurse counseling on hepatitis A and B vaccination adherence compared to a usual care control treatment that also included brief peer coaching and brief nurse counseling. Self-report data from subjects enrolled at one residential drug treatment facility in Los Angeles were captured at three time points: baseline and 6- and 12-month follow-up. RESULTS: Findings showed substantive and significant reductions in drug use and engaging in sex with multiple partners 6 months after enrollment into the study compared to the baseline data, but results did not differ by study condition. At 12-month follow-up, drug use and sex with multiple partners increased but remained less than at baseline levels. DISCUSSION: Sustaining reductions in drug use and engaging in sex with multiple partners remains a challenge after incarceration.

Treatment or else: coerced treatment for drug-involved California parolees.

This study evaluated a community-based correctional program in California, in which parolees tested positive on illicit drugs were given the option of going into a treatment program or having their parole revoked and returned to prison in California. Two comparison groups were constructed to assess the treatment effect-a propensity-based comparison group extracted from the general parolee population and program dropouts. Although implicitly coercive, some parolees who finished the program were less likely to be reincarcerated 12 months following release than both comparison groups. However, the observed treatment advantage quickly eroded in the second observation year. Savings realized from the incarcerations avoided were more than enough to pay for the program. Findings from this study suggest that boosting participation in reentry services through coercive measures may yield currently unrealized individual and societal benefits. However, systemic efforts are needed to extend the short-term treatment effects. Design and data limitations in the study weaken the persuasiveness of these findings. Methodological implications and policy issues about coerced treatment are discussed.