Child maltreatment — which includes physical abuse, sexual abuse and neglect — affects at least 12% of children under 18 in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Each year, around two million children in the U.S. experience maltreatment, and the impacts on society and the economy are massive: survivors of maltreatment are at inordinate risk of experiencing mental health disorders, homelessness, juvenile and criminal-justice involvement, dropping out of high school, teen parenthood, and chronic health conditions.
To combat this pervasive public health problem, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development awarded a P50 “Capstone Center of Excellence” grant to researchers in the College of Health and Human Development’s Center for Safe and Healthy Children. This $8.9 million, five-year grant will enable research to support healthy development among people who suffered maltreatment as children, prevent future abuse and neglect, and serve as the basis for more effective laws and policies to promote healthy children, nationwide.
Jennie Noll, director of the Center for Safe and Healthy Children and Ken Young Family Professor for Healthy Children in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Penn State, said that the data produced by these innovative research studies constitute a national resource that will promote scientific discovery across multiple fields while helping children in the near- and long-term.
The award will allow the continuation of the longitudinal Child Health Study led by Noll. This unique study is tracking the health and outcomes of 700 youth across Pennsylvania — some of whom have experienced maltreatment and some of whom have not — to support all children who experience abuse as they grow into adulthood.
The grant also funds a study to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of a nurse-led telehealth program that will provide expert evaluations and care to sexual abuse survivors in rural and underserved communities across Pennsylvania. Sheridan Miyamoto, associate professor of nursing leads this project, which aims to improve survivors’ health outcomes and increase the success of legal cases to hold abusers accountable.
The funding will also enable the Center for Safe and Healthy Children to continue community-based research partnerships, public outreach, and resources to local agencies and social workers who provide direct services to youth and families. This innovative Dissemination and Outreach Core is led by Sarah Font, associate professor of sociology and criminology and Christian Connell, associate professor of human development and family studies and director of the Social Science Research Institute’s Child Maltreatment Solutions Network.
Another innovative core led by Yo Jackson, professor of psychology, focuses on translating center products for larger dissemination through innovative communications strategies to enhance the visibility and impact of the of the center through public outreach, advancing equal access to practice tools, and disseminating cutting-edge science, evidence-informed policy and creative solutions.
The center grant will also fund the Center for Safe and Healthy Children’s public-policy arm, which provides research evidence about child maltreatment to legislators and decision-makers at the local, state, and federal levels. This work supports evidence-informed policies that increase access to treatment for children who have experienced maltreatment and provide resources for effective prevention of child abuse and neglect. Center researchers have provided information for researchers at the state and federal levels.
Each year the U.S. incurs an estimated $124 billion in costs associated with child maltreatment, according to the CDC. Considering not only the financial costs, but the human toll of child maltreatment, Noll says that universities, government officials, parents and private citizens all play a role in addressing this crisis.
“We’re changing practice and policy in ways that are helping some of society’s most vulnerable children,” Noll said. “We’re extremely grateful for the opportunity to continue to craft this unique resource and to help communities and families while reducing disparities and honoring equity in access to care.
“This continued funding for the next five years shows the commitment of the federal government to solve this problem that affects millions of kids,” Noll continued. “We’re also exceptionally grateful to the leadership and faculty in the Colleges of Health and Human Development, Medicine, Liberal Arts, and the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing who have supported and participated in this interdisciplinary research center and to the Child Maltreatment Solutions Network, part of Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute, for the support they have provided over the past decade to our research in this critically important area.”
Craig Newschaffer, Raymond E. and Erin Stuart Schultz Dean of the College of Health and Human Development, noted that “interdisciplinary research like the work to be completed under this center award is critical to developing enduring, evidence-supported strategies for addressing the multiple challenges created by child maltreatment as well those to prevent child maltreatment in the first place.” He added, “I am extremely proud that Dr. Noll’s team is continuing to maintain Penn State’s position of leadership in this critically important field.”
In addition to the participation and support from the Colleges of Health and Human Development, Medicine, Liberal Arts, and Nursing, the P50 “Capstone Center of Excellence” is being bolstered by resources provided from the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research and the Social Science Research Institute.