Steve Wilson

Editor's note: This is the first in a series of articles profiling the research of our department's faculty and graduate students

By Ryann Perlinski
Public relations, senior

In the wake of a local child's death, Professor Steve Wilson put his academic expertise to work for the Lafayette community.

As a researcher of interpersonal communication and conflict management, father of six, and active citizen, Wilson was impacted by the loss of Lafayette resident Aiyana Gauvin. Four-year-old Aiyana died in March 2005 from physical abuse inflicted by her stepmother.

Less than two years later, Wilson's article, titled "First and Second-Order Changes in a Community's Response to a Child Abuse Fatality," was published in the prestigious journal Communication Monographs.

"I was asked to write something on families and institutions and the Gauvin case was happening at the time that I was asked to do it," said Wilson. "I thought why not? I'll learn a lot from doing this."

Wilson's work resulted in a seven-page analysis of the Gauvin case, as well as suggestions for the local community on how to cope with and reduce child abuse in the future. The article was disseminated among city members.

"I was interested in getting reaction, but I also wanted to push forward some ideas for what the community might do to respond," he said. "This is the first time I've had requests from non-academics to read my work."

Wilson hopes that his article will inspire several levels of change in the area, above and beyond changes made by Child Protective Services and the local police departments. "Right now we're only responding to abuse after it's happened," said Wilson. "We're only responding to the most severe cases. We must fundamentally reframe what the problem is."

By reframing the issue, Wilson wants to see a reduction in the 1,500 deaths per year nationwide that result from child abuse and neglect.

Wilson's dedication to the cause goes far beyond journal articles alone. His initial interest in family assistance burgeoned at Michigan State, where he was involved in evaluating a prevention-based program providing parental education, free day care, and information on early childhood development. This passion has stayed with Wilson throughout the years.

Wilson wants to see "proactive rather than reactive, community rather than government based, and supportive rather than just monitoring" help given to families in need.

Wilson is planning more research in the area of parent-child communication, social influence, and family issues, as well as continued involvement in the Greater Lafayette community.

Despite the death of Aiyana Gauvin, Wilson looks forward to change in the future. "With the community's reaction, I think there's cause for hope," Wilson said. "But the case itself is just beyond comprehension.