Lara B Gerassi
Biographic Data
| ID | 192434 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Lara B Gerassi |
| GIVEN NAMES | Lara B |
| FAMILY NAME | Gerassi |
| SIGNATURE | GERASSI L B |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Wisconsin–Madison |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-6275-7004 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 25 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 109 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 25 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2015 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
How People With Lived Experiences of Homelessness and Sex Trades Become Social Service Leaders in Sex Trafficking, Sex Trading, and Youth Organizations
Organizations that work with people who trade sex for compensation (including sex work and trafficking) and who are homeless employ lived experience experts to enhance the relevance and utility of services. We sought to understand how lived experience experts become social service leaders and the conditions that influence their pathways and well-being. Influenced by anti-capitalism and anti-white-supremacy, we used an intersectional, community-en…
The roles of dating and victimization on adverse mental health among teens
INTRODUCTION: The relationship between romantic involvement, dating violence, other victimizations, and mental health among adolescents in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic is understudied. METHODS: This study analyzed 2021 survey data collected from a representative sample of 9th-12th grade students (n = 10,792) from 24 high schools in a US Midwestern state. Most respondents identified as White, heterosexual, and US-born, with more than three…
An Exploration of Sex Trading for Compensation and LGBTQ+ Inclusive Screening Practices
Young people's perspectives on social and healthcare providers' assessments of sex trading for financial compensation are lacking. This is particularly important for LGBTQ+ youth who experience substantial barriers in navigating health and social services. Further, increased internet access (because of COVID-19 and other factors) has changed the landscape of the sex trades in ways that are not fully understood. Our study aimed to understand (1) h…
Psychometric Properties of the Sexual Services Acts Materials for Pay (SSAMP) Index
Exchanging sex for financial compensation is thought to be underreported primarily because extant studies (1) use a single item to capture a complex, stigmatized phenomenon, and (2) do not capture the complex types or reasons why people engage in the sex trades. Few survey studies have explored the sex trades among university students. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of a newly developed measure, the Sexual Services Acts and Mate…
University Students Who Report Exchanging Sex for Money or Other Compensation
How do providers assess young people for risk of sex trafficking? Observed indicators, follow-up, and assessment questions from a sample of social service providers
Toward a Multi-item Measure to Identify Involvement in and Circumstances of the Sex Trades
Quantitative studies in the United States that identify involvement in the sex trades predominantly use a single item to address a complex, stigmatized phenomenon. This item typically does not differentiate between in-person or virtual forms, nor does it assess the associated compensation types, circumstances, and perceived consequences. University students' involvement in the sex trades is also critically understudied. Therefore, we sought to ad…
Social Service Providers’ Knowledge of and Practice with LGBTQ+ People at Risk of Sex Trafficking
Despite growing evidence suggesting that LGBTQ+ people are at risk of sex trafficking (ST), the ways in which social service providers encounter and address this population remain understudied. This study uses a directed content analysis approach to understand providers’ perceived knowledge of and practice with LGBTQ+ people at risk of ST. Authors conducted 24 semistructured, in-depth interviews of social service providers who worked with people …
Documenting Behavioral Health Needs in an Urban Setting
Most local communities lack the capacity to conduct behavioral health needs assessments. The purpose of this paper is to describe a mixed-methods approach to estimate the behavioral health needs in St. Louis, MO. Data were drawn from multiple sources including local and state government prevalence estimates, medical records, and key informant interviews. The most prevalent behavioral conditions were depression, alcohol, and drug abuse. Priority p…
Motivational interviewing with individuals at risk of sex trafficking
Motivational interviewing is an evidence-based practice designed to collaboratively strengthen a person’s commitment to change. Used in a wide variety of practice settings, motivational interviewing is recommended for use with individuals who are at risk of sex trafficking when discussing sex trading or relationships with potential traffickers. However, little is known about the uses of motivational interviewing with this population in practice. …
Prevalence and associated characteristics of youth who trade sex in a representative sample of high school students
INTRODUCTION: Our understanding of youths' sex trading predominantly stems from non-representative studies with high-risk populations (e.g. homeless/runaway youth). The purpose of this study is to identify the prevalence and associated characteristics of youth who report sex trading (compared to those who do not) in a representative sample of high school students. METHODS: Data comes from the 2018 Youth Assessment, a cross-sectional survey admini…
Social Work Education that Addresses Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation
Practice, policy, and research focused on trafficking for sexual exploitation and commercial sex involvement occur in the United States within a white, heteronormative social environment that must be addressed pedagogically in the classroom. Social work education increasingly includes the topic of trafficking for sexual exploitation as a stand-alone course or as sessions embedded within other courses. Yet, very little scholarship critically exami…
Moving Toward Critical Consciousness and Anti-Oppressive Practice Approaches With People at Risk of Sex Trafficking
Whether and how social service providers use practice strategies that address racism is critically understudied, particularly with people who are at risk of sex trafficking. The purpose of this article is to understand (1) the perceptions of racial disparities in sex trafficking (as learned from sex trafficking education), and (2) the strategies used to address racism in practice (color-evasiveness, anti-oppressive practice [AOP]). We used a dire…
How Adult Women Who Trade Sex Navigate Social Services
Access to and engagement with social services among women who trade sex is essential to address issues including substance use, posttraumatic stress disorder, and housing instability. This grounded theory study aims to understand how adult women who trade sex accessed and engaged with social services. Drawing from semistructured, in-depth interviews with 30 mostly Black and White women, results suggest that women’s differing viewpoints of sex tra…
Experiences of Racism and Racial Tensions Among African American Women Impacted by Commercial Sexual Exploitation in Practice
Barriers faced by Black women when navigating commercial sexual exploitation (CSE)-related services remain understudied. This qualitative study explores (a) Black women's experiences of racism when accessing services in CSE-related organizations and (b) the existence and manifestation of racial tensions in practice. In-depth interviews were conducted with 30 adult women who traded sex as adults and 20 CSE-related service providers. Findings sugge…
How Sex Trading Identities Shape Experiences of Service Provision
The relationship between women’s identities of sex trading and their engagement with social service providers remains understudied. Drawing from larger grounded theory study, in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 adult women who traded sex as adults and 20 service providers who come into contact with this population in a U.S. Midwestern city. Women engaging in services were sampled through maximum variation sampling and wome…
Heterogeneous Perspectives in Coalitions and Community-Based Responses to Sex Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation
Despite increases in community-based coalitions to address sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation (CSE), and the coinciding ideological debates surrounding sexual commerce, few studies have examined the dynamics between and perspectives among coalition members. This paper aims to explore 1) coalition members' perspectives on religion, politics, feminism, sex trafficking/sex work, neoliberalism/neo-abolitionism and 2) the impacts of su…
Addressing race, racism, and commercial sexual exploitation in practice through an action-based research partnership
This paper analyzes the participatory research process stemming from a five-year transformative relationship between anti-trafficking coalition members (including service providers from multiple social service organizations), the coalition organizer, and a service provider who became a sex trafficking/commercial sexual exploitation researcher. We describe the collaborative process in the study design (including development of research questions, …
What's in a Name? Benefits and Challenges of Anti-Trafficking Language in Social Service Provider Perspective
The language used to address service populations involved in commercial sex is laden with meaning that impacts understandings of and responses to the issue. While debates over use of the terms sex trafficking, commercial sexual exploitation, sex work, and modern-day slavery are well established in the academic literature, relatively little of this work is derived from original research examining the perceptions and experiences of social service p…
Sex Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation
Lessons Learned
Over the last few decades, service providers and community members have organized and created interagency coalitions to address issues of sex trafficking. Such efforts include grassroots and government-funded coalitions, which typically provide education, training, and awareness about sex trafficking and encourage collaboration and coordinated services among community partners. However, the benefits and challenges of such coalitions within local …
Design strategies from sexual exploitation and sex work studies among women and girls
The study of sex trafficking, prostitution, sex work, and sexual exploitation is associated with many methodological issues and challenges. Researchers’ study designs must consider the many safety issues related to this vulnerable and hidden population. Community advisory boards and key stakeholder involvement are essential to study design to increase safety of participants, usefulness of study aims, and meaningfulness of conclusions. Nonrandomiz…
Sexually Transmitted Infections in a Sample of At-Risk Youth
A Heated Debate
The theoretical and often political framework of sexual exploitation and sex work among women is widely and enthusiastically debated among academic and legal scholars alike. The majority of theoretical literature in this area focuses on the macro perspective, while the micro-level perspective as to theory and causation remains sparse. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the philosophical, legal, and political perspectives pertaining…
From Exploitation to Industry
In the last 15 years, terms such as prostitution, sex trafficking, sexual exploitation, modern-day slavery, and sex work have elicited much confusion and debate as to their definitions. Consequently several challenges have emerged for both law enforcement in the prosecution of criminals and practitioners in service provision. This article reviews the state of the literature with regard to domestic, sexual exploitation among women and girls in the…
Design strategies from sexual exploitation and sex work studies among women and girls
The study of sex trafficking, prostitution, sex work, and sexual exploitation is associated with many methodological issues and challenges. Researchers’ study designs must consider the many safety issues related to this vulnerable and hidden population. Community advisory boards and key stakeholder involvement are essential to study design to increase safety of participants, usefulness of study aims, and meaningfulness of conclusions. Nonrandomiz…
From Exploitation to Industry
In the last 15 years, terms such as prostitution, sex trafficking, sexual exploitation, modern-day slavery, and sex work have elicited much confusion and debate as to their definitions. Consequently several challenges have emerged for both law enforcement in the prosecution of criminals and practitioners in service provision. This article reviews the state of the literature with regard to domestic, sexual exploitation among women and girls in the…
Moving Toward Critical Consciousness and Anti-Oppressive Practice Approaches With People at Risk of Sex Trafficking
Whether and how social service providers use practice strategies that address racism is critically understudied, particularly with people who are at risk of sex trafficking. The purpose of this article is to understand (1) the perceptions of racial disparities in sex trafficking (as learned from sex trafficking education), and (2) the strategies used to address racism in practice (color-evasiveness, anti-oppressive practice [AOP]). We used a dire…
Social Work Education that Addresses Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation
Practice, policy, and research focused on trafficking for sexual exploitation and commercial sex involvement occur in the United States within a white, heteronormative social environment that must be addressed pedagogically in the classroom. Social work education increasingly includes the topic of trafficking for sexual exploitation as a stand-alone course or as sessions embedded within other courses. Yet, very little scholarship critically exami…
Lessons Learned
Over the last few decades, service providers and community members have organized and created interagency coalitions to address issues of sex trafficking. Such efforts include grassroots and government-funded coalitions, which typically provide education, training, and awareness about sex trafficking and encourage collaboration and coordinated services among community partners. However, the benefits and challenges of such coalitions within local …
Addressing race, racism, and commercial sexual exploitation in practice through an action-based research partnership
This paper analyzes the participatory research process stemming from a five-year transformative relationship between anti-trafficking coalition members (including service providers from multiple social service organizations), the coalition organizer, and a service provider who became a sex trafficking/commercial sexual exploitation researcher. We describe the collaborative process in the study design (including development of research questions, …
A Heated Debate
The theoretical and often political framework of sexual exploitation and sex work among women is widely and enthusiastically debated among academic and legal scholars alike. The majority of theoretical literature in this area focuses on the macro perspective, while the micro-level perspective as to theory and causation remains sparse. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the philosophical, legal, and political perspectives pertaining…
Social Service Providers’ Knowledge of and Practice with LGBTQ+ People at Risk of Sex Trafficking
Despite growing evidence suggesting that LGBTQ+ people are at risk of sex trafficking (ST), the ways in which social service providers encounter and address this population remain understudied. This study uses a directed content analysis approach to understand providers’ perceived knowledge of and practice with LGBTQ+ people at risk of ST. Authors conducted 24 semistructured, in-depth interviews of social service providers who worked with people …
Experiences of Racism and Racial Tensions Among African American Women Impacted by Commercial Sexual Exploitation in Practice
Barriers faced by Black women when navigating commercial sexual exploitation (CSE)-related services remain understudied. This qualitative study explores (a) Black women's experiences of racism when accessing services in CSE-related organizations and (b) the existence and manifestation of racial tensions in practice. In-depth interviews were conducted with 30 adult women who traded sex as adults and 20 CSE-related service providers. Findings sugge…
How Sex Trading Identities Shape Experiences of Service Provision
The relationship between women’s identities of sex trading and their engagement with social service providers remains understudied. Drawing from larger grounded theory study, in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 adult women who traded sex as adults and 20 service providers who come into contact with this population in a U.S. Midwestern city. Women engaging in services were sampled through maximum variation sampling and wome…
What's in a Name? Benefits and Challenges of Anti-Trafficking Language in Social Service Provider Perspective
The language used to address service populations involved in commercial sex is laden with meaning that impacts understandings of and responses to the issue. While debates over use of the terms sex trafficking, commercial sexual exploitation, sex work, and modern-day slavery are well established in the academic literature, relatively little of this work is derived from original research examining the perceptions and experiences of social service p…
An Exploration of Sex Trading for Compensation and LGBTQ+ Inclusive Screening Practices
Young people's perspectives on social and healthcare providers' assessments of sex trading for financial compensation are lacking. This is particularly important for LGBTQ+ youth who experience substantial barriers in navigating health and social services. Further, increased internet access (because of COVID-19 and other factors) has changed the landscape of the sex trades in ways that are not fully understood. Our study aimed to understand (1) h…
How do providers assess young people for risk of sex trafficking? Observed indicators, follow-up, and assessment questions from a sample of social service providers
Toward a Multi-item Measure to Identify Involvement in and Circumstances of the Sex Trades
Quantitative studies in the United States that identify involvement in the sex trades predominantly use a single item to address a complex, stigmatized phenomenon. This item typically does not differentiate between in-person or virtual forms, nor does it assess the associated compensation types, circumstances, and perceived consequences. University students' involvement in the sex trades is also critically understudied. Therefore, we sought to ad…
How Adult Women Who Trade Sex Navigate Social Services
Access to and engagement with social services among women who trade sex is essential to address issues including substance use, posttraumatic stress disorder, and housing instability. This grounded theory study aims to understand how adult women who trade sex accessed and engaged with social services. Drawing from semistructured, in-depth interviews with 30 mostly Black and White women, results suggest that women’s differing viewpoints of sex tra…
Heterogeneous Perspectives in Coalitions and Community-Based Responses to Sex Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation
Despite increases in community-based coalitions to address sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation (CSE), and the coinciding ideological debates surrounding sexual commerce, few studies have examined the dynamics between and perspectives among coalition members. This paper aims to explore 1) coalition members' perspectives on religion, politics, feminism, sex trafficking/sex work, neoliberalism/neo-abolitionism and 2) the impacts of su…
Sexually Transmitted Infections in a Sample of At-Risk Youth
A Heated Debate
The theoretical and often political framework of sexual exploitation and sex work among women is widely and enthusiastically debated among academic and legal scholars alike. The majority of theoretical literature in this area focuses on the macro perspective, while the micro-level perspective as to theory and causation remains sparse. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the philosophical, legal, and political perspectives pertaining…
From Exploitation to Industry
In the last 15 years, terms such as prostitution, sex trafficking, sexual exploitation, modern-day slavery, and sex work have elicited much confusion and debate as to their definitions. Consequently several challenges have emerged for both law enforcement in the prosecution of criminals and practitioners in service provision. This article reviews the state of the literature with regard to domestic, sexual exploitation among women and girls in the…
Design strategies from sexual exploitation and sex work studies among women and girls
The study of sex trafficking, prostitution, sex work, and sexual exploitation is associated with many methodological issues and challenges. Researchers’ study designs must consider the many safety issues related to this vulnerable and hidden population. Community advisory boards and key stakeholder involvement are essential to study design to increase safety of participants, usefulness of study aims, and meaningfulness of conclusions. Nonrandomiz…
Sex Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation
Lessons Learned
Over the last few decades, service providers and community members have organized and created interagency coalitions to address issues of sex trafficking. Such efforts include grassroots and government-funded coalitions, which typically provide education, training, and awareness about sex trafficking and encourage collaboration and coordinated services among community partners. However, the benefits and challenges of such coalitions within local …
Heterogeneous Perspectives in Coalitions and Community-Based Responses to Sex Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation
Despite increases in community-based coalitions to address sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation (CSE), and the coinciding ideological debates surrounding sexual commerce, few studies have examined the dynamics between and perspectives among coalition members. This paper aims to explore 1) coalition members' perspectives on religion, politics, feminism, sex trafficking/sex work, neoliberalism/neo-abolitionism and 2) the impacts of su…
Addressing race, racism, and commercial sexual exploitation in practice through an action-based research partnership
This paper analyzes the participatory research process stemming from a five-year transformative relationship between anti-trafficking coalition members (including service providers from multiple social service organizations), the coalition organizer, and a service provider who became a sex trafficking/commercial sexual exploitation researcher. We describe the collaborative process in the study design (including development of research questions, …
What's in a Name? Benefits and Challenges of Anti-Trafficking Language in Social Service Provider Perspective
The language used to address service populations involved in commercial sex is laden with meaning that impacts understandings of and responses to the issue. While debates over use of the terms sex trafficking, commercial sexual exploitation, sex work, and modern-day slavery are well established in the academic literature, relatively little of this work is derived from original research examining the perceptions and experiences of social service p…
How Adult Women Who Trade Sex Navigate Social Services
Access to and engagement with social services among women who trade sex is essential to address issues including substance use, posttraumatic stress disorder, and housing instability. This grounded theory study aims to understand how adult women who trade sex accessed and engaged with social services. Drawing from semistructured, in-depth interviews with 30 mostly Black and White women, results suggest that women’s differing viewpoints of sex tra…
Experiences of Racism and Racial Tensions Among African American Women Impacted by Commercial Sexual Exploitation in Practice
Barriers faced by Black women when navigating commercial sexual exploitation (CSE)-related services remain understudied. This qualitative study explores (a) Black women's experiences of racism when accessing services in CSE-related organizations and (b) the existence and manifestation of racial tensions in practice. In-depth interviews were conducted with 30 adult women who traded sex as adults and 20 CSE-related service providers. Findings sugge…
How Sex Trading Identities Shape Experiences of Service Provision
The relationship between women’s identities of sex trading and their engagement with social service providers remains understudied. Drawing from larger grounded theory study, in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 adult women who traded sex as adults and 20 service providers who come into contact with this population in a U.S. Midwestern city. Women engaging in services were sampled through maximum variation sampling and wome…
Documenting Behavioral Health Needs in an Urban Setting
Most local communities lack the capacity to conduct behavioral health needs assessments. The purpose of this paper is to describe a mixed-methods approach to estimate the behavioral health needs in St. Louis, MO. Data were drawn from multiple sources including local and state government prevalence estimates, medical records, and key informant interviews. The most prevalent behavioral conditions were depression, alcohol, and drug abuse. Priority p…
Motivational interviewing with individuals at risk of sex trafficking
Motivational interviewing is an evidence-based practice designed to collaboratively strengthen a person’s commitment to change. Used in a wide variety of practice settings, motivational interviewing is recommended for use with individuals who are at risk of sex trafficking when discussing sex trading or relationships with potential traffickers. However, little is known about the uses of motivational interviewing with this population in practice. …
Prevalence and associated characteristics of youth who trade sex in a representative sample of high school students
INTRODUCTION: Our understanding of youths' sex trading predominantly stems from non-representative studies with high-risk populations (e.g. homeless/runaway youth). The purpose of this study is to identify the prevalence and associated characteristics of youth who report sex trading (compared to those who do not) in a representative sample of high school students. METHODS: Data comes from the 2018 Youth Assessment, a cross-sectional survey admini…
Social Work Education that Addresses Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation
Practice, policy, and research focused on trafficking for sexual exploitation and commercial sex involvement occur in the United States within a white, heteronormative social environment that must be addressed pedagogically in the classroom. Social work education increasingly includes the topic of trafficking for sexual exploitation as a stand-alone course or as sessions embedded within other courses. Yet, very little scholarship critically exami…
Moving Toward Critical Consciousness and Anti-Oppressive Practice Approaches With People at Risk of Sex Trafficking
Whether and how social service providers use practice strategies that address racism is critically understudied, particularly with people who are at risk of sex trafficking. The purpose of this article is to understand (1) the perceptions of racial disparities in sex trafficking (as learned from sex trafficking education), and (2) the strategies used to address racism in practice (color-evasiveness, anti-oppressive practice [AOP]). We used a dire…
Social Service Providers’ Knowledge of and Practice with LGBTQ+ People at Risk of Sex Trafficking
Despite growing evidence suggesting that LGBTQ+ people are at risk of sex trafficking (ST), the ways in which social service providers encounter and address this population remain understudied. This study uses a directed content analysis approach to understand providers’ perceived knowledge of and practice with LGBTQ+ people at risk of ST. Authors conducted 24 semistructured, in-depth interviews of social service providers who worked with people …
University Students Who Report Exchanging Sex for Money or Other Compensation
How do providers assess young people for risk of sex trafficking? Observed indicators, follow-up, and assessment questions from a sample of social service providers
Toward a Multi-item Measure to Identify Involvement in and Circumstances of the Sex Trades
Quantitative studies in the United States that identify involvement in the sex trades predominantly use a single item to address a complex, stigmatized phenomenon. This item typically does not differentiate between in-person or virtual forms, nor does it assess the associated compensation types, circumstances, and perceived consequences. University students' involvement in the sex trades is also critically understudied. Therefore, we sought to ad…
The roles of dating and victimization on adverse mental health among teens
INTRODUCTION: The relationship between romantic involvement, dating violence, other victimizations, and mental health among adolescents in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic is understudied. METHODS: This study analyzed 2021 survey data collected from a representative sample of 9th-12th grade students (n = 10,792) from 24 high schools in a US Midwestern state. Most respondents identified as White, heterosexual, and US-born, with more than three…
An Exploration of Sex Trading for Compensation and LGBTQ+ Inclusive Screening Practices
Young people's perspectives on social and healthcare providers' assessments of sex trading for financial compensation are lacking. This is particularly important for LGBTQ+ youth who experience substantial barriers in navigating health and social services. Further, increased internet access (because of COVID-19 and other factors) has changed the landscape of the sex trades in ways that are not fully understood. Our study aimed to understand (1) h…
Psychometric Properties of the Sexual Services Acts Materials for Pay (SSAMP) Index
Exchanging sex for financial compensation is thought to be underreported primarily because extant studies (1) use a single item to capture a complex, stigmatized phenomenon, and (2) do not capture the complex types or reasons why people engage in the sex trades. Few survey studies have explored the sex trades among university students. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of a newly developed measure, the Sexual Services Acts and Mate…
How People With Lived Experiences of Homelessness and Sex Trades Become Social Service Leaders in Sex Trafficking, Sex Trading, and Youth Organizations
Organizations that work with people who trade sex for compensation (including sex work and trafficking) and who are homeless employ lived experience experts to enhance the relevance and utility of services. We sought to understand how lived experience experts become social service leaders and the conditions that influence their pathways and well-being. Influenced by anti-capitalism and anti-white-supremacy, we used an intersectional, community-en…
Sex work and related issues (22 works) · Psychology (21 works) · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology (16 works) · Medicine (15 works) · Sociology (15 works) · Political science (13 works) · Criminology (10 works) · Psychiatry (10 works) · Gender Studies (9 works) · Sex trafficking (9 works)