Centers

The Center engages in a broad spectrum of research projects that address challenges important to children, adolescents, and their families both in the U.S. and internationally. We partner with other centers at Columbia and researchers from other universities in multidisciplinary approaches to investigating child disability, child health indicators, the impact of HIV in South Africa, dating violence in adolescents, and screening.

The Center’s current projects include the following:

• Age-Specific Approaches to Intimate Partner Violence. 2003-2006 - Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Partners and Peers Study: Healthy Relationships - Dating and Conflict. 2005-2008 - Funded by CDC
• Evaluation and indicators components of Project Thrive: The Public Policy Analysis and Education Center for Infant and Early Childhood – Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau through the National Center for Children in Poverty
• The Parejas Study 2007-2009 – Funded by CDC
• The ASENZE Study Health and Psychosocial Need: Children with Disability in a Time of HIV. 2007-2012 - Funded by the National Institute on Druge Abuse

For a more detailed description of our projects, please choose from among the dropdown menu items.

Age-Specific Approaches to Intimate Partner Violence

This study, based in a busy reproductive health care clinic, investigated attitudes about and experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) among an ethnically diverse population of adolescent and young adult women (n=645) using a cross sectional quantitative and qualitative survey assessed experiences with and attitudes toward IPV screening.

Almost all participants supported universal IPV screening and over 90% believed that a healthcare provider was the most appropriate adult to ask them about interpersonal violence. Young women’s concerns toward screening varied by age and violence experience; those most likely to mind being screened were younger, had a history of childhood sexual abuse, and were victims of physical violence in the last year. However, even in these groups, over 70% supported IPV screening. Qualitative analyses suggested that provider qualities and confidentiality will affect the amount of disclosure to provider initiated screening. Women also raised important questions about how to define IPV in relationships.

Young women generally favor universal screening of interpersonal violence, but provider qualities and confidentiality issues affect responses to screening questions.

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Partners and Peers

The Partners and Peers study was conducted to establish baseline data on the prevalence and nature of sexual and dating violence among young people in New York City area schools, including information on perpetration of sexual and dating violence, disclosure of violence, the degree of association with exposure to community violence and the degree of mutual participation in partner violence with the aim of developing effective intervention and prevention programs for youth. The study was carried out jointly by the New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault (the Alliance) and the Columbia University Center for Youth Violence Prevention (CCYVP). The study partners combined their resources and expertise to conduct this study and also to advocate for social and systems change in New York City.

The study was conducted in four public high schools in New York City. All students were invited to participate in the study. The New York City Department of Education granted researchers permission to enroll New York City high school students anonymously with their parents’ consent and their own permission with the agreement of school principals and district superintendents. Students from four schools, reflecting a range of those in New York’s cultural groups, were asked to participate. Schools were selected through convenience sampling, three in Manhattan and one in Brooklyn. In all, the Alliance and CCYVP surveyed 1,454 students at these four high schools. Of these, 64 surveys were incomplete and were eliminated due to the extensive missing data. The total sample size for the analyses presented is 1,312 youth ranging in age from 13-21. This data collection took place during the 2006-2007 school year. This study was approved by three Institutional Review Boards.

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Project THRIVE

This work, in collaboration with the NCCP’s Project THRIVE funded by MCHB, focuses on developing robust indicators to use in Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems Programs in States. After a review of nationally recommended indicators measuring key aspects of childhood health and well-being including those addressing systems, a set of 32 indicators were proposed for use by states.

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PAREJAS

Recent quantitative investigations with Latino adolescents regarding relationship violence provoked researchers to inquire into the meaning of responses to surveys. The Parejas study sought to qualitatively explore and describe how relationship violence develops and progresses in young adult relationships.

Participants were recruited from clinics in Northern Manhattan - a family planning clinic, a primary care clinic, and a young men’s health clinic. After screening positive through a self-administered questionnaire, those who screened positive for involvement in sexual and/or physical relationship violence (perpetrator, recipient or both) participated in a one hour semi-structured interview exploring the development and sequence of violence in their current relationship. Interviews were transcribed and translated when necessary.

254 Latino heterosexual 18-24 year old adults responded to the screen. Of these, forty (20 men and 20 women) were interviewed. The population self-identified primarily as Dominican, with many responding to both the screening tool and interview in Spanish. Research assistants were bilingual to minimize linguistic barriers. Referrals to counseling were available upon request for both perpetrators and victims of violence.

Key themes that have emerged early in the analysis of the interviews include: partner-related: distrust (loss of trust in partner), fear of partner, differing communication styles (not talking about it or getting tired to argue), conflict resolution (partners don’t talk about conflict), gender stereotypes (men will be men); relationship violence-related: escalation of conflict (spiraling arguments), violent scenarios, context of violence (public vs private), triggers for violence, use of objects, and verbal abuse; relationship-related: impact of family and friends on the violence, infidelity (suspected and actual), role of alcohol in violence, jealousy, relationship instability, monitoring behaviors (especially through technology).

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ASENZE

With the long-term goal of intervening to promote better physical and psychosocial functioning of children in South Africa, this study will determine how the ability of children with neurodevelopmental disorders to function cognitively and socially is influenced by health-related (HIV, anemia, other infection), contextual (socio-economic and environmental, access to care, and therapeutic intervention) and psychosocial factors (caregiver characteristics including mental health and substance use, family functioning).

Approximately 2000 five- and six-year-old children from an HIV prevalent area will be screened for disability and then assessed before school entry. They will be reassessed 24 months later after school entry. The study will offer HIV testing to children and caregivers and referral for treatment for all conditions identified. Many of these children live with parents who are ill or have parents who have died from AIDS. Additional changes such as poverty, inadequate access to healthcare and to education are common; many other risks to child health and well-being, including inadequate nutrition, infection, and trauma as well as caregiver depression and substance use affect many children. As a result, many children do not function at optimal levels, and are at risk for developmental disabilities. The study will investigate, first cross sectionally and then longitudinally, the relationships among neurodevelopmental disorders and the above-mentioned risk factors including as outcomes, child cognitive and psychosocial functioning and in the longitudinal aim, school functioning.

The study will address both cross sectional and longitudinal relationships, assessing the impact of referral, treatment, and access to programs over time. Community ethnographic studies will be linked to the findings of the epidemiological study to identify culturally appropriate interventions. We will identify factors open to intervention which are known to affect child risk and resilience, and work with community leaders in a participatory approach to develop an effective community-based intervention.

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