Penn State Named Site of National Child Abuse Prevention Center

Pennsylvania State University—known widely for its winning sports teams and the notorious Sandusky sex scandal—will become home to the first national child abuse prevention center.

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The university announced in April that it had been selected by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) to receive a $7.7 million grant over the next five years. In addition, Penn State has committed an additional $3.4 million to the center, bringing the total to over $11 million.

The goal of the new center, which will supplement the university’s Child Maltreatment Solutions Network, is to prevent child maltreatment and promote the health and well-being of abuse survivors. Since 2012—the year former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was found guilty of 45 counts of sexual abuse—the university has hired nine new faculty who are conducting research in this area.

“This is an example of something good coming out of something so devastating and painful,” said Judith A. Cohen, M.D., medical director for the Center for Traumatic Stress in Children and Adolescents in Pittsburgh, referring to the Jerry Sandusky case. Cohen is also a professor of psychiatry at Temple University’s Medical School in Philadelphia. “At times, we have to learn the hard way that a change in culture and practice is needed across the state and nationwide.”

The overarching goal of the center is to translate research into solutions that will help implement new, targeted, and optimized interventions designed to positively impact children’s lives.

One of several projects to be supported by the award will invite 1,200 children aged 8 to 13 from around the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to participate in a study focused on eradicating health disparities for children who have experienced the child welfare system. The large cohort study “will include health screenings, monitoring, and education in the areas of emotional and behavioral well-being as well as physical health,” according to a university press release.

“Maltreatment is a critical issue requiring tangible solutions. There needs to be a heightened focus on raising the bar for research in this area so we can develop specific ways to prevent maltreatment and promote health and well-being for survivors,” Jennie Noll, director of the Child Maltreatment Solutions Network and principal investigator of the NIH award, said in a press release. “We don’t yet have a comprehensive understanding of exactly why maltreatment leads to such dire consequences for some, while others may exhibit remarkable resilience. This is why it is vitally important that we identify the mechanisms involved in these health disparities.”

Cohen told Psychiatric News she is “gratified and excited” to see more funding sources support psychotherapy and children’s issues, despite fewer funds to go around. Among the organizations leading the way is the National Center for Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN.org), she said. It coordinates national education and training, and provides information on a wide variety of child topics including trauma, treatment and services, and policy. ■