Sheldon Kennedy backs U. of C. research on impact of child abuse
An ambitious new research partnership between the Sheldon Kennedy Centre and the University of Calgary will measure the effects of child abuse on the developing brain, hoping to identify it and prevent its long-lasting consequences.
“The impact of child abuse is long term. It manifests itself in suicidal tendencies, self-harm, anxiety, depression and other serious mentalhealth issues,” said Sheldon Kennedy, former NHL hockey player and founder of the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre.
“We need to gather the physical evidence that allows us to show these impacts are real and they’re consistent. And if we can identify them earlier we can help a lot of kids, and help them live the lives they deserve to live.”
The study will collect data from a pool of 240 children aged six to 17, taking an MRI scan of their brain to determine differences in brain structure and chemistry. Researchers will also take saliva samples to analyze DNA, which could indicate changes caused by environmental influences such as toxic stress.
Half of the participants will have been victims of child abuse, while the other half will not. After the initial pilot study, researchers also plan to expand the study, enrolling up to 1,000 kids and following them between 10 and 15 years.
If researchers can eventually identify physical markers that indicate stress or abuse through an MRI, Kennedy explained, kids can start receiving specific treatment for their trauma earlier.
“If we can see there is a physical impact, we can help these kids sooner, and start to rewire their brains in the right direction.”
Sam Weiss, PhD and director of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute at U of C, applauded the study for its potentially wide-ranging impact, adding that one in every three Canadian kids are victims of child abuse, either physical, sexual or witnessing domestic violence.
“These numbers are staggering. The impacts are profound, and they exist well beyond childhood. But it’s a shared responsibility for all of us.”
Kennedy, who was a victim of sexual abuse when he played junior hockey for the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League, admitted he felt the effects of his abuse for years. Kennedy’s former coach, Graham James, was since convicted of sexual assault and sentenced to prison.
Kennedy said the support he needed in the early years after the abuse was slow, but eventually evolved.
Talking about the pain honestly was difficult at first, Kennedy explained, as he faced questions about his inability to kick addictions or the lack of motivation to
If we can see there is a physical impact, we can help these kids sooner, and start to rewire their brains in the right direction.
get out of bed.
“But we need to make a mental shift on this and realize it is not about asking kids ‘what is wrong with you?’ It’s about asking them, ‘what happened to you?’
“It’s about practicing being honest.
“It’s about making the invisible, visible.”
The Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre, just across the street from the Alberta Children’s Hospital, screens about 125 children for child abuse each month, with two-thirds of those cases related to sexual abuse.