International Journal of Coercion, Abuse, and Manipulation Volume 3 2022 80
Methodology and Key Empirical Findings
The research in this study identified seven risk-
related categories linked to youths’ susceptibility to
sex trafficking. In this study, school counselors were
asked in interviews to identify youths’ generational
experiences. Eleven school counselors from five school
districts were used for this study. All but one participant
identified as both a licensed professional counselor
and a certified school counselor. Each participant had
over ten years of experience and was employed in an
elementary, middle, or high school setting.
Several qualitative methods were used to gather data for
this study, including open-ended surveys, interviews,
and control groups. Each data collection method
served as a stepping-stone for determining questions
utilized in further investigations. Grounded theory was
applied to delineate data and determine generational
shifts as categories and subcategories for the basis of a
sex trafficking prevention model.
Participants in this study identified generational
changes that, in their opinion, made Generation Z more
susceptible to sex trafficking than previous generations.
From this information, seven identifiable categories
(see Appendix A for a model) were developed:
parenting, technology, personal achievement, risk-
taking behavior, sexuality/gender identity, poverty,
and mental illness. Each category also contained
subcategories. For example, personal achievement had
career-related subcategories, such as entitlement, lack
of motivation, authority issues, truancy, and study
skills (see Appendix B for subcategory information).
This research has also prompted a model for preventing
and assisting victims of trafficking through restorative
methods and included an emphasis on career counseling
as a treatment modality (Humphreys, 2017).
Other risk factors seen among trafficked youth include
using illegal drugs identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, queer, or questioning (LGBTQ+) living
in foster care or poverty having difficulty in school
having mental health issues or being involved in
bullying (Smith, 2014). While more research is needed
to determine why some youths are more susceptible to
grooming than others, one possibility is that traffickers
offer hope for instant acceptance and immediate
need fulfillment. If this is the case, practical career
counseling strategies offer an alternative method for
fulfilling those needs without risking victimization.
The following section discusses these strategies and
how they relate to targeted risk factors.
Strategies and Theoretical Premises for Preventing
Trafficking
Career counseling could prove to be a key component
when working to prevent sex trafficking. Because
poverty and personal achievement are risk factors
for being sex trafficked, they are discussed as issues
to address through career development (Humphreys,
2017). Per the research findings outlined above, each
subcategory of personal achievement is discussed,
along with the rationale for including career counseling
as a preventive strategy. Adler’s (2011) social interest,
Maslow’s (1943) hierarchy of needs, and Super’s (1942)
self-concept are also discussed so counselors can best
understand the premises of the career strategies that
are discussed later in this article.
Personal Achievement Risk Factors and Rationale
for the Use of Career Counseling
Addressing Personal Achievement
Issues related to personal achievement, such as
entitlement, lack of motivation, authority issues,
truancy, and study skills, should be addressed through
career counseling as part of sex trafficking prevention.
According to school counselors, identifiable issues
related to personal achievement are commonly seen
in adolescents today (Humphreys, 2017). School
counselors reported current adolescents to be more
entitled than previous generations. To this end, a
common theme in Humphreys’s (2017) research
was that “entitled parents are raising ultra-entitled
children.” Lack of motivation was attributed to the idea
that students felt things should come easily to them
and there should not be too many steps to achieve a
particular goal (Humphreys, 2017). Career counseling
can bridge the gap between work, goals, and the steps
that must be taken to attain advancement.
Career achievement is directly related to well-
being, social needs, future goals, and other forms
of achievement, such as academic (Humphreys,
2017). Individuals are more likely to be motivated in

ISSN: 2710-4028 DOI: https://doi.org/10.54208/0003 81
career achievement if all the aforementioned needs
are fulfilled by one task or goal (Mansfield, 2012).
Lack of motivation in adolescents is a subcategory of
personal achievement in the model for sex trafficking
susceptibility (Humphreys, 2017). Addressing
motivation and finding ways to fulfill multiple desires
by completing one goal would benefit our youth.
According to Mansfield (2012), motivation is lost
when goals only achieve success in one area. For
example, one might find a career that fulfills one’s
well-being but does not contribute to social desires. In
this case, the individual would lack the motivation to
take the necessary steps to obtain the job. Counselors,
especially those who work with adolescents and young
adults, must find steps in a youth’s career path that
fulfill multiple individual needs. Counselors could also
enlist social interest strategies (Adler, 2011) to uncover
hidden fulfillment needs beyond personal desires.
New, appealing career motivations can be created when
success goes beyond personal monetary gains. Youths
who are not lacking fulfillment will not be easily lured
into sex trafficking through monetary promises.
Social Interest
Adler (2011) touted social interest as being “a feeling of
community, an orientation to live cooperatively with
others, and a lifestyle that values the common good
above one’s interests and desires” (Guzick et al., 2004,
p. 362). Social interest is also perceived as eliciting
feelings of empathy for others and could be a predictor
of mental health and life adjustment (Ansbacher
&Ansbacher, 1956). Youth are less inclined to fall
victim to grooming or monetary incentives offered
by sex trafficking predators if they are well-adjusted
and focused more on community needs rather than
individual needs. For this reason, social interest has
been suggested as a potential preventive measure when
reducing susceptibility to sex trafficking.
Developing Self-Concept
Social interest may be especially helpful in preventing
sex trafficking because of its ability to shape a person’s
career self-concept. Super (1990) contended that
self-concept could be shaped in response to career-
related experiences and maturity. This experience can
improve career development and offer career goals
and the motivation needed to reject the immediate
gratification offered by sex trafficking predators. Youth
can learn new things, become proficient in additional
skills, and improve career development while helping
others. Social interest activities might overlap with
career self-concept if youth participate in activities such
as helping younger children as mentors who model
grooming avoidance, tutoring youth of all ages with
homework and personal achievement, and befriending
and assisting younger bullied youth. These tasks could
prevent sex trafficking for others while also instilling
the career self-concept and personal life adjustment
needed to prevent being at risk for sex trafficking. As
such, social interest and career self-concept can overlap
with preventing sex trafficking in both mentors and
other youth served.
Addressing Poverty
Research conducted on generational changes related
to child and adolescent susceptibility to sex trafficking
indicated that the only stable sex trafficking risk factor
is poverty (Humphreys, 2017). According to school
counselors, the cycle of poverty remains unchanged
across generations and focuses on fundamental needs
related to survival. Maslow (1943) clearly explains
human motivation in his hierarchy of needs. His model
has been the foundation for understanding how people
direct their behavior, habits, and activities to meet
unsatisfied needs (Maslow, 1943). Basic physiological
needs for food, shelter, clothing, and sleep must be met
before individuals can focus on other aspects of human
existence.
Human traffickers seek out those youth with deficiencies
in a specific area, such as physiological needs, safety
needs, or love and belonging (Humphreys, 2017).
Predators will often find individuals looking for
money, shelter, or food (Humphreys, 2017). They
offer individuals a way to make money or have a better
life in exchange for servitude. Humphreys (2017)
described adolescents as being lured into trafficking by
individuals who promise them items such as phones,
clothes, or car payments. Some school counselors
reported that a few students would sell themselves
sexually to other students for money to purchase items
their parents could not afford (Humphreys, 2017).
Career counseling could be used to teach healthier
paths toward monetary gain.