Community-Based Logic Model Development to Evaluate a Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Curriculum: A Mixed-Methods Study

Commercial sexual exploitation of youth (CSEY) causes significant physical and emotional harm, yet prevention research and intervention is nascent and scant. This paper describes how our study team developed and refined a logic model to guide a rigorous, multi-site, randomized control trial evaluation of a curriculum for youth to prevent commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking through increased problem recognition and help-seeking. We combined community-based and mixed methods research (CB-MMR) approaches in an iterative process we created to develop our research methodology. First, we describe our five-phased, iterative, research design process, including the engagement of an 18-member research advisory board (RAB) made up of diverse practitioners, administrators, and those with lived expertise. Then we show how that process shaped the logic model content and structure including: 1) substantive changes to outcome categories the study will measure; 2) attention to the potential for victim blaming and stigma in outcome measurement; and 3) insights on how implementation context shapes outcome measurement. We highlight the important contributions and leadership of community (including lived experience experts) in research design and argue that this inclusion is necessary for rigorous research attuned to real-world contextual factors and the holistic impact of CSEY prevention efforts. Our aim is to contribute to better understanding the research design foundations of evaluative research to prevent CSEY to strengthen the evidence base, and ultimately to improve outcomes for youth.