1859 Jan | Feb 2018

what i’m working on
A Long-Term Look
Nonprofit studies violence and relationships over decades
interview by Mackenzie Wilson
The Oregon Social Learning Center is dedicated to using scientific
research to help strengthen relationships in children, adolescents,
families and communities. Using data collected from analyzing subjects
over short- and long-term studies, the Eugene-based nonprofit helps
make connections between the way people interact and their social and
psychological well-being. The center is in the midst of a two-decade
study revolving around young men and their romantic partners. We
spoke with Dr. Joann Wu Shortt, a senior research scientist at OSLC,
about the impact of the study.
Why does OSLC focus on studies
surrounding relationships?
Relationships matter across the
lifespan. We seek close proximity and
contact with others, which promotes
our well-being and safety and helps
us cope with stress. The family
remains a central relationship context
that shapes our development, and
difficulties within relationships can
signal developmental risk.
OSLC is in the midst of a long-term
study that’s assessing young men
and their romantic relationships.
What’s the significance of this study
and when did it start?
The Oregon Youth Study-Couples
study began more than fifteen
years ago, when the OYS men were
young adults, to examine the couple
relationship quality, specifically
intimate partner violence, between
these men and their romantic
partners and spouses. This study
is one of the most comprehensive
longitudinal examinations of physical
and psychological intimate partner
violence that has been conducted
to date. Our recent work involves
the children of the OYS men and
the children’s biological mothers
(even if the couple has separated),
to examine the impact of child
exposure to intimate partner violence
and parent-to-child aggression on
child adjustment.
How do you think the data collected
from OSLC’s research can help people
improve their own relationships?
Although intimate partner violence has
long been recognized as a complex and
significant public health problem, the
existing intervention programs have
demonstrated limited effectiveness
in reducing intimate partner violence.
The OYS-Couples study increases
the scientific understanding of the
developmental pathways, risk factors
and relationship processes involved
in intimate partner violence in order
to inform prevention and intervention
efforts to effectively reduce intimate
partner violence and the costly physical
and psychological consequences for
couples and their children.
How does OSLC select people to be a
part of a long-term study?
At enrollment, the OYS participants
were from at-risk (by virtue of living
in neighborhoods with relatively high
rates of juvenile delinquency) and lower
socioeconomic backgrounds and in the
fourth grade at local public schools.
What has been most surprising about
the study?
Our approach helped us provide
evidence that a significant proportion
of physical and psychological intimate
partner violence in nonclinical young
couples was bidirectional or mutual, with
partners aggressing against each other,
which has increased the recognition of
intimate partner violence as a public
health problem that involves both men
and women, rather than only men. More
injuries occur in couples when physical
intimate partner violence is bidirectional.
One of my most important papers from
this project provided critical information
on the course of intimate partner
violence and indicated notable decreases
in levels of physical intimate partner
violence across adulthood and higher
stability in intimate partner violence for
men who stayed with the same partners
relative to men who changed partners.
Intimate partner violence may be
prevented by addressing the behavior of
both partners and relationship patterns,
such as coercion and escalation in the
context of conflict.
68 1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2018