Focus: Intervention & prevention of child commercial sexual exploitation or trafficking (CST)
      In Kentucky, familial SU/D increases risk of CST. Primary goal: Implement and evaluate
      effectiveness of multi-level bystander-informed program (CSTOP Now!) aimed at Kentucky public
      middle schools for staff.

CSTOP Now! Child Sex Trafficking Stops With You

Child Sex Trafficking

Randomization will occur at the Kentucky county level among 50 counties with at least 2
      middle schools for a middle school-based cluster RCT set in 50 of Kentucky's 120 counties.
      Middle schools in half (n=25) of the 50 Kentucky counties will be randomized to the
      intervention condition, while middle schools in the remaining 25 Kentucky counties will be
      randomly assigned to the attention control. We have selected counties that are similar in
      population size, demographics (% white, % <18 years of age, and % living in poverty, using
      2019 Census estimates). Within each county, all middle schools (>200 across 50 counties) will
      be invited to participate in this RCT.

      Participating staff will be emailed a link that will take them to a description of the study.
      Participation will involve receipt of online training, as randomized at the county level, and
      completing surveys immediately before receipt of the first training and at the end of each of
      school terms annually

      Aim 1. Evaluate the effectiveness of child sex trafficking (CST) training implemented among
      middle school staff randomized, at the Kentucky county level, to change middle school staff:

        1. Knowledge of child sexual exploitation and trafficking (CSE/T) (hypothesize greater
           knowledge in Intervention versus Control),

        2. Attitudes towards child sexual exploitation and trafficking (hypothesize lower stigma in
           Intervention versus Control),

        3. Willingness and efficacy to intervene (hypothesize greater efficacy in Intervention
           versus Control),

        4. Use of 'bystander' actions to thwart child sexual exploitation and trafficking risk
           (hypothesize increase actions in Intervention versus Control),

        5. Use child sex trafficking screening, referral and reporting (hypothesize increase
           actions in Intervention versus Control),

      Aim 2. Evaluate effectiveness of child sex trafficking mass media intervention (Intervention
      versus Control), randomized and measured at the Kentucky county-level, based on middle school
      staff survey data:

        1. To increase child sexual exploitation and trafficking screening & reporting in short
           term (Years 1-2),

        2. Begin to reduce child sexual exploitation and trafficking rates in longer term (Year
           3-4) Analyses for both aims will be adjusted for school and county-level attributes

CSTOP Now!

Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky Online Training

RCT to Evaluate Bystander-informed CSTOP Now! to Prevent Child Sex Trafficking in Kentucky Middle Schools

Knowledge of CST to include legal and behavioral definitions, risk factors, signs and symptoms, and awareness CST in staff's school or community Attitudes toward CST include stereotypes of those trafficked, their families and consumers, staff's empathy and attitudes toward helping those trafficked, self-efficacy to address CST with students or staff.
Sex Trafficking Attitudes Scale, Human Trafficking Myths Scale, Adaptation of Self-Confidence and Screening Behaviors for Domestic Violence Scale

Professor

Use of active bystander behaviors to prevent or stop child sex trafficking.
Bystander behaviors to include the number of events reported by middle school staff to include directly intervene, delegate, disrupt, and document of behaviors to prevent child sex trafficking or report potential child sex trafficking.
Based on Banyard, Plante, Moynihan (2005) Bystander Efficacy Scale and adapted for child sex trafficking.

For this RCT, our research team has created CSTOP Now! online, interactive learning management system training. This CSTOP Now! online training will be offer to middle school staff in Kentucky counties randomized to this experimental intervention arm. This training seeks to provide middle school staff with information and resources to identify, intervene in, and prevent child sex trafficking (CST). This training will provide middle school staff with the knowledge, skills, and efficacy to intervene with children at risk of or experiencing CST. This training will also provide staff with skills to disrupt harmful attitudes or misinformation about CST.

The Kentucky State Police, in association with Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky, have developed training videos designed to identify child sex trafficking. For middle school staff in counties randomized to the active comparator, we offer these video as online training. Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky has consented to this use of their child sex trafficking identification training videos.

CSTOP Now! Child Sex Trafficking Stops With You

About this trial

Study ID

Status

Type

Phase

Placebo

Accepting

Not accepting

Trial Timing

What is this trial about?

What are the participation requirements?

Locations

Location

Status