Intersections of Mental Health, Poverty, and Trafficking: A Syndemic Approach to Exploitation and Structural Violence

Trafficking and broader forms of exploitation—including labor trafficking, sex trafficking, coerced migration, and economic exploitation—disproportionately affect individuals living in poverty. These exploitative systems operate within a larger framework of structural violence, where economic deprivation, lack of access to mental health care, and social marginalization increase vulnerability.

Mental health challenges such as PTSD, depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders are both consequences and risk factors for trafficking and exploitation. Despite the strong correlation between mental health, poverty, and trafficking, existing intervention strategies often fail to address these issues holistically. A syndemic approach, which considers the interconnected nature of health and social conditions, offers a more comprehensive framework for understanding and responding to trafficking. This Research Topic will bring together multidisciplinary perspectives to explore how structural inequalities drive mental health disparities and perpetuate cycles of exploitation.



The goal of this Research Topic is to critically examine how mental health, poverty, and trafficking intersect within a syndemic framework. Traditional responses to trafficking have largely been legal and law enforcement-driven, often neglecting the public health implications and mental health needs of survivors. This collection of articles will shift the focus toward prevention, intervention, and systemic change, integrating perspectives from mental health professionals, social workers, public health scholars, human rights advocates, and policy experts.

By gathering research on the psychosocial impacts of trafficking, economic determinants of mental health, and barriers to accessing care, this collection aims to highlight holistic, evidence-based approaches that address the root causes of exploitation. Contributors are encouraged to explore innovative solutions, such as trauma-informed therapy, survivor-led interventions, economic empowerment programs, and policy reforms that address structural determinants of health.

Recent advances in community-based mental health models, syndemic theory, and integrated care approaches offer new pathways for intervention. This collection will facilitate discussions on how multidisciplinary, survivor-centered strategies can reshape responses to trafficking and broader forms of economic and social exploitation.

This Research Topic welcomes contributions from diverse disciplines, including but not limited to public health, psychology, sociology, law, criminology, social work, and human rights studies. We seek manuscripts that explore theoretical, empirical, and practice-based perspectives on the following themes:

Syndemics of poverty, violence, and mental health in trafficking contexts

Economic determinants of mental health and their role in exploitation

Trauma-informed care models for survivors of trafficking and economic coercion

Intersectoral approaches integrating mental health, legal aid, and social services

Policy analyses on structural inequalities contributing to exploitation

We welcome original research articles, systematic reviews, case studies, theoretical papers, and policy analyses. Contributions should provide critical insights, innovative frameworks, or practical recommendations for advancing mental health and social justice-driven approaches to trafficking and exploitation.

Keywords: trafficking

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.