The Outcomes for Human Trafficking Instrument: Validity and Reliability Testing

Author: Cutbush, Stacey; Charm, Samantha; Tueller, Stephen; Krieger, Kathleen & Gibbs, Deborah

Abstract: This study supports evidence-based services for victims of HT by developing and testing an outcome instrument designed to assess changes in HT program participant status on key outcome categories. Study methods included conducting an environmental scan; expert panels of service providers, survivors, and researchers; instrument scoring and cognitive interviews with HT service providers. Hypothetical case vignettes were then used to assess instrument reliability and concurrent validity – concurrent validity - first among program directors, then among case managers, and finally, comparing case managers to program directors. Average interrater reliability across items within outcome categories among program directors was excellent (ICC > 0.90) for most outcome categories, indicating consensus ratings could serve as a gold standard for assessing the performance of less seasoned HT service providers using the instrument. Case managers had mostly moderate (ICC > 0.50) to good (ICC > 0.75) average interrater reliability across items within outcome categories among themselves, and fair (> 0.40) to good (> 0.75) average agreement across items within outcome categories with the program directors. The resulting excel-based instrument is free; user-friendly; applicable to diverse settings; relevant to victims of sex and labor trafficking, whether domestic or foreign born, adults or minors; and supports data management, visualization, export, and analysis.

Keywords: human trafficking, survivors, outcomes, instrument, measurement, validity, reliability