Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Date

2019

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Counseling Psychology

Committee Chair

Elin Ovrebo

Committee Member

Suzanne Lease

Committee Member

Douglas Strohmer

Committee Member

Yonghong Xu

Abstract

Previous research regarding public and individual attitudes about individuals who sell sex (ISS) suggest these attitudes have a significant impact on how this population is treated in various facets of their life (e.g. mental and physical healthcare, occupational opportunities, and daily interactions with others). The manner in which researchers have measured attitudes about ISS has been historically inconsistent and does not encompass all ISS, often excluding subsections of the population such as men who sell sex. Therefore, the purpose of the current study is to develop and validate the Attitudes Towards Individuals Who Sell Sex Inventory (ATISS), an instrument designed to reliably and validly assess attitudes towards ISS. After constructing an initial item pool and revising based on expert feedback, Study 1 was launched involving an exploratory factor analysis of 31 items. Data from 240 participants revealed a four-factor structure across 21 items including social distance, human value, impact on society, and parenting. Results from Study 1 indicated a Cronbachs Alpha of .95 for the total scale and ranged from .87 to .94 for the subscales. Study 2 was then conducted to determine the convergent and divergent validity of the ATISS structure and test-retest reliability after one month. Results from 405 participants revealed sufficient divergent and convergent validity and adequate test-retest reliability across 37 on all subscales as well as the full ATISS scale scores (r > .70). Findings from the current study indicate that the ATISS is a multidimensional, psychometrically sound instrument to measure attitudes towards individuals who sell sex.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to ProQuest

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