DOI: 10.3886/icpsr38497.v1
title: An Evaluation of Victim Centered, Trauma Informed Interview Training for Sexual Assault Investigators using Standardized Patient Actors: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Kentucky, 2019-2022
title: Version 1

description: In 2019, the National Institute of Justice funded the University of Louisville and the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training to form a multidisciplinary team that implemented and evaluated a 40-hour training course on victim centered, trauma informed interview techniques for sexual assault investigators. This study used a randomized experimental design to assign 8 training courses to treatment (4 courses) and control (4 courses) groups between November of 2019 and August of 2021 to assess the effects of training on behavioral, attitudinal, and cognitive outcomes.
description: The goal of the study was to use a randomized experimental design to evaluate a new training program offered to officers in Kentucky that aimed to improve police officers' response to victims through exposure to victim centered, trauma informed interview techniques.


This study sought to answer the following research questions:

Does victim centered, trauma informed (VCTI) training improve police officers' knowledge of sexual assault trauma and victim behaviors as measured by the Ask Perceptions of Victim Behaviors (PVB) scale?
If VCTI training does initially improve police officers' knowledge of trauma and victim behaviors, are the improvements maintained?
Does VCTI training reduce rape myth acceptance as measured by the Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale Short Form (IRMA-SF) scale?
If VCTI training does reduce rape myth acceptance, do these reductions remain stable?
Does VCTI training improve police officers' comfort with interviewing survivors as measured by the Confidence with Interviewing (CWI) scale?
If VCTI training improve police officers' confidence with interviewing scores, are these improvements maintained?
Does VCTI training improve police officers' performance in interviews with standardized patients portraying survivors of sexual assault?
description: This study used a randomized experimental design to assign 8 training courses to treatment (4 courses) and control (4 courses) groups to assess the effects of training on behavioral, attitudinal, and cognitive outcomes. Police officers participated in a 40-hour training program focused on improving responses to survivors of sexual assault by exposing officers to victim centered, trauma informed (VCTI) interviewing techniques. A portion of the training used standardized actors to portray survivors of sexual victimization in simulated interviews with officers enrolled in the course. The control group completed simulated interviews on the first day of training after a brief 1-hour introduction to the course. Control group members also completed a second interview after learning about VCTI techniques. The treatment group completed simulated interviews after receiving the VCTI training. All study participants were asked to complete a pre-training paper and pencil survey on the first day of training after a brief 1-hour introduction to the course. Participants were also asked to complete a post-training paper and pencil survey on the final day of the training course. Finally, all course participants were emailed a long-term follow-up survey at least six months after completing the training program.


Participants in the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training (KYDOCJT) VCTI course were recruited by advertising the training program through the KYDOCJT website and at meetings held by the Kentucky Sexual Assault Response Team Advisory Committee (SART-AC) and the Kentucky Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Task Force (KySAKI Task Force). On average, 14.13 officers attended each course producing a sample of 113 officers who completed the training.
description: Variables include information related to demographics, training and experience, self control items, perceptions about crime victim behaviors, a rape myth acceptance scale, knowledge of trauma informed responses and Kentucky laws, and comfort with interviewing sexual assault survivors.
description: Not applicable.
description: Response Rates: A sample of 113 officers who completed the training. Of these 113 officers, completed surveys were available from 95 training participants producing a survey response rate of 84.07 percent. Additionally, audio and/or video recordings of officer interviews were available for 88 of the 113 course participants, producing a simulated interview response rate of 77.88 percent.
description: Presence of Common Scales: 
Perceptions of Victim Behaviors (PVB)


Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale Short Form (IRMA-SF)


Comfort with Interviewing Victims (CWI)


Simulated Interview Dependent Variables: Officer Interview Performance


Investigator Rapport Building (IRB)


Elements of the Offense (EOO)


Use of Victim Centered, Trauma Informed Interview Techniques (UVCTI)


Self Control Items (adopted from the Brief Self-Control Scale (BSCS))
description: Datasets: 
DS1: An Evaluation of Victim Centered, Trauma Informed Interview Training for Sexual Assault Investigators using Standardized Patient Actors: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Kentucky, 2019-2022
description: Police officers in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Smallest Geographic Unit: None
description: coded video observation; paper and pencil interview (PAPI); web-based survey