Exploitation is a form of abuse that occurs when one person unfairly manipulates another for profit or personal gain. Various individual and social characteristics have the potential to increase an individual’s risk of being exploited. Cognitive impairment is one potential vulnerability factor that has received minimal research attention. This scoping review aimed to investigate cognitive impairment as a factor that may increase an individual’s vulnerability to exploitation. Study inclusion criteria were: (a) empirical studies; (b) studies presenting extractable data related to cognitive impairment and exploitation; (c) studies exploring cognitive impairment as a vulnerability factor for exploitation; (d) studies published after 1998; and (e) studies available in English. A six-step search strategy was employed: (a) electronic searches of bibliographic databases; (b) screening reference lists of included studies; (c) forward citation tracking in Google Scholar; (d) expert recommendations; (e) website searches of relevant Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs); and (f) a call for evidence. Twenty studies met the inclusion criteria. Three types of exploitation were reported: sexual ( n = 10), financial ( n = 8), and criminal ( n = 2). Intellectual disability ( n = 8) and mental health ( n = 8) were the most frequently described forms of cognitive impairment. The results indicate that cognitive impairment is a factor that increases vulnerability to exploitation. However, the limited number and disparate nature of the studies means that it is impossible to disentangle all the complexities in the relationship between cognitive impairment and exploitation. Further research is needed to understand if cognitive impairment increases vulnerability to all types of exploitation or if it results in varying levels of susceptibility to different types of exploitation.

中文翻译：

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认知障碍是一种被利用的脆弱性：范围界定审查


剥削是一种虐待形式，当一个人为了利润或个人利益不公平地操纵另一个人时就会发生。各种个人和社会特征都有可能增加个人被剥削的风险。认知障碍是一种潜在的脆弱因素，但受到的研究关注很少。本次范围审查旨在调查认知障碍作为可能增加个人遭受剥削的脆弱性的因素。研究纳入标准为： (a) 实证研究； (b) 提供与认知障碍和剥削有关的可提取数据的研究； (c) 研究将认知障碍作为遭受剥削的一个脆弱因素； (d) 1998 年之后发表的研究； (e) 研究以英语提供。采用了六步检索策略： (a) 书目数据库的电子检索； (b) 筛选纳入研究的参考文献清单； (c) Google Scholar 中的前向引文跟踪； (d) 专家建议； (e) 相关非政府组织（NGO）的网站搜索； (f) 要求提供证据。二十项研究符合纳入标准。报告了三种类型的剥削：性剥削（n = 10）、经济剥削（n = 8）和犯罪剥削（n = 2）。智力障碍 (n = 8) 和心理健康 (n = 8) 是最常描述的认知障碍形式。结果表明，认知障碍是增加遭受剥削的脆弱性的一个因素。然而，研究数量有限且性质各异，意味着不可能理清认知障碍与剥削之间关系的所有复杂性。 需要进一步的研究来了解认知障碍是否会增加对所有类型剥削的脆弱性，或者是否会导致对不同类型剥削的不同程度的易感性。