Editor's note: This article was produced by a student participating in the course J477/577: Strategic Science Communication, a collaboration between the School of Journalism and Communication’s Science Communication Minor program and the Research Communications unit in the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation.

After years of work on the reactive side of abuse and neglect, Simone Piper began working on the prevention side—and it is working. 

 Simone Piper is research and evaluation coordinator for the Center for the Prevention of Abuse and Neglect (CPAN) through University of Oregon’s College of Education. Prior to joining the CPAN team, Piper completed a master’s program in developmental psychology at the UO and worked extensively with individuals who had already experienced abuse. Joining the CPAN team in 2016 allowed Piper to switch to working on primary prevention of abuse and neglect while centering the voices of youth and survivors.

CPAN is currently working on the rollout of a statewide Oregon Child Abuse Prevalence Study (OCAPS) to better understand the true prevalence of abuse and neglect among youth in the state of Oregon. OCAPS is the first survey of its kind, asking direct questions to the children who are being affected by various experiences of trauma and abuse. 

“We must trust that youth are the experts on their own experiences,” Piper said. 

Measuring the prevalence of abuse 

OCAPS was successfully piloted in 2018 across five Lane County school districts. The survey consists of 167 sensitive but thorough and precise questions spanning various forms of abuse. The results of the statewide study will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the prevalence of abuse than the current nationwide surveys.  

An understanding of child abuse prevalence has historically been gained from surveys carried out by national studies such as the National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence (NatSCEV) in partnership with ACE, Adverse Childhood Experiences. The ACE study, which is most similar to OCAPS, found that 20.7% of participants had experienced sexual abuse at least one time while the OCAPS study found this number was closer to 29.2%.

As far as physical abuse, the ACE study reported 28.3% of participants experienced physical abuse by an adult, the NatSCEV reported 9.8%, and the OCAPS study found that 51.9% of student participants had experienced at least one type of physical violence by an adult. The OCAPS asks more in-depth questions that address multiple potential abuse experiences as opposed to one overarching question leading to a higher finding of abuse prevalence as all abuse experiences are unique and complex.

Exposure to intimate partner violence was found to be significantly more prevalent in the OCAPS findings as well. Seventy-seven percent of participants in the OCAPS pilot study reported witnessing at least one type of intimate partner violence such as hitting of parents or siblings, while ACE reported 12.5% and NatSCEV reported 19.5%.

The understanding gained by OCAPS about higher rates of abuse and neglect in Oregon youth allows for better implementation of tangible solutions. We can help combat abuse and neglect by “showing interest in youths’ lives, talking to them about what matters to them, listening compassionately, and listening to understand,” Piper said. “No matter who we are.” 

Anyone can step in to stop abuse from occurring 

Another research project CPAN is involved in, Protect Our Children, is an example of a tangible solution. Protect Our Children is a community-based training program that increases the public knowledge of child abuse and educates on prevention measures that average community members can take such as recognizing signs of neglect.

“You don't have to be an expert, have a degree in psychology, or be a social scientist, but there are still things that all of us, no matter who we are, can do to protect youth,” Piper said.

Many students involved in the OCAPS pilot study reported feeling hopeful and validated that attention was being drawn to child abuse prevalence and a topic often shrouded by a culture of silence was being openly discussed. The pilot study reported that 47% of students who had experienced some form of abuse had never shared their experience with anyone else. Piper hopes opening dialogue around this pervasive issue through projects such as Protect Our Children will limit the prevalence of child abuse and neglect.

“It is wonderful to hear that people feel hopeful from this work because that gives me hope too and inspires me to be a part of the effort,” Piper said. 

 With the help of Oregon legislative support, CPAN will conduct OCAPS statewide with more than 1,800 randomly selected students across Oregon. Piper hopes the data gathered will establish a better understanding of the prevalence of child abuse in Oregon, informing more effective legislation and preventative measures.

“There are things we can do together to make sure that youth can feel safe, healthy, and that their well-being is fostered,” Piper said. “Youth are the future, and we have to nurture youth now to make sure they have tools to live the lives that they want in order to have the kind of world that we want for the future.”  

— Story and images by Annalisa Shehab for the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation