2025/12/20 by Dara Mojtahedi, Gemma Hewitt, Sophie Fitton · 1 citation
paper · doi:10.1002/bsl.70034
published in Behavioral Sciences & the Law 44(2), 181-192 (Wiley)
crossref issued 2025/12/20 · crossref published 2025/12/20 · crossref published-online 2025/12/20 · crossref created 2025/12/20 · crossref published-print 2026/04/01 · crossref deposited 2026/04/16 · crossref indexed 2026/08/05
ABSTRACT This study examined the effectiveness of a brief educational intervention designed to reduce sex trafficking (ST) myth acceptance. Using a 2 × 2 mixed design, participants ( N = 189) viewed either an educational video addressing common ST myths or a control video on human memory. Measures of ST myth acceptance and victim empathy were collected before, immediately after, and 1 month following the intervention. Participants also evaluated a vignette describing an alleged ST case and responded to items assessing empathy, victim blaming, and perceptions of the defendant's guilt. The intervention did not significantly reduce ST myth acceptance or influence vignette‐based judgements, which may reflect a ceiling effect given participants' already supportive baseline attitudes. However, a protective effect emerged over time: participants in the intervention condition maintained supportive victim attitudes at follow‐up, whereas control participants demonstrated increased victim blaming and decreased empathy.