Commercial Sexual Exploitation, Stigma, and Trauma: A Detrimental Trio for an Altered Sense of Self.

This study aimed to assess whether, and to what extent, the commercial sexual exploitation of female adolescents placed in residential care predicted different manifestations of an altered sense of self in emerging adulthood while considering the possible confounding effects of child maltreatment and perceived stigmatization. Data were gathered in a broader longitudinal study conducted among a sample of 124 female adolescents placed in residential youth care centers. Commercial sexual exploitation was self-reported during adolescence.