The development and validation of the Attitudes Towards Individuals Who Sell Sex Inventory (ATISS)

Author: Stenersen, Madeline & Ovrebo, Elin

Abstract: The attitudes of others towards individuals who sell sex (ISS) can have a significant impact on how the population is treated in interpersonal interactions and social systems. The current study outlines the development and validation of Attitudes Towards Individuals Who Sell Sex Inventory (ATISS), an instrument designed to reliably and validly assess attitudes towards ISS. The authors present three studies outlining the development and validation of the ATISS. Study 1 revealed a four-factor structure across 21 items including social distance, human value, impact on society, and parenting. Study 2a and 2b revealed sufficient construct, convergent, and discriminant validity for the ATISS including adequate test-retest reliability. Findings indicate that the ATISS is a psychometrically sound instrument to measure attitudes towards ISS.

Keywords: sex trade, attitudes, measurement, prostitute, sex work, sex trafficking