Author's response to reviews Title: Risk factors for mental disorders in women survivors of human trafficking: a historical cohort study Authors:

1. [Background] Please provide more background about what is known about mental health disorders among trafficked women for unfamiliar readers. Response: We have revised this section as recommended: “Background: Previous studies have found high levels of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder among women survivors of human trafficking. No previous research has described risk factors for diagnosed mental disorders in this population.” 2. [Methods] (a) The sentence “the foremost international organisation....” Seems not as relevant to the methods as, e.g., the definition of mental disorders used in the study, the recruitment strategy, information on interviewer training, and the pre-and post-trafficking factors the study controlled for. (b) Also, mention that you look at long-term mental health disorders (average 6 months after return). Response: We have revised this section as recommended: “Methods: A historical cohort study of women survivors of trafficked women aged 18 and over who returned to Moldova and registered for assistance with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). Women were approached by IOM social workers and, if they gave informed consented to participate in the study, interviewed by the research team. At 2-12 months post-return to Moldova, a psychiatrist assessed DSM-IV mental disorders blind to information about women’s pre-trafficking and post-trafficking experiences using the Structured Clinical