# Wa'Kan Ye'Zah: Enhancing caregivers' and children's well-being through an evidence-based and culturally informed prevention intervention

> **NIH NIH R01** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $756,651

## Abstract

The overall goal of this study is to develop, adapt and evaluate an intergenerational prevention intervention,
named “Wa’ Kan ye’ zah (Little Holy One),” with Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux caregivers and their 3-to-5-
year-old children. The intervention aims to: 1) reduce symptoms of historical trauma and everyday stress
among parents/caregivers, 2) improve parenting, and 3) improve children’s emotional and behavioral
developmental outcomes to reduce future risk for suicide and substance use. The scientific premise of this
work is rooted in understanding that high rates of historical and current trauma in Native communities
compromise caregivers’ mental health and parenting, which in turn affect early childhood behavior problems
and adverse events that increase children’s risk for suicide and substance use in adolescent and young
adulthood. Without intervention, this intergenerational cycle may repeat. Wa’ Kan ye’ zah will combine adapted
elements of: 1) Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, an evidence-based intervention proven
effective to reduce stress, depression and trauma-related symptoms, 2) Family Spirit, an evidence-based
parent training program to promote positive early child development in Native American communities, and 3)
cultural components informed by tribal-specific risk and protective factors for suicide and substance abuse
identified in community-based studies that led to this proposal. The intervention will consist of 12 weekly
individual lessons taught to parents and children (ages 3 to 5) at the Poplar and Wolf Point Head Start facilities
by indigenous community health workers, a delivery strategy selected to enhance participant engagement,
local acceptability and sustainability. Intervention timing is focused at a critical developmental phase—when
primary attachment is still to parents, but while children are transitioning to greater self-regulation and
cooperation with teachers and peers in Head Start classrooms. This study will use a randomized control trial
(RCT) with an embedded single-case experimental design (SCED) to determine the effectiveness of the
intervention on mental health and behavioral outcomes among N=120 parent-child dyads, while empirically
exploring the added benefit of specific cultural components on parent/caregiver outcomes. on mental health
and behavioral outcomes among N=120 parent-child dyads, while exploring the added benefit of cultural
components on parent outcomes. The study plan is situated within a well-established trust relationship with
tribal communities, innovative formative research that led to this proposal, and an experienced, multi-
disciplined study team led by an indigenous PI.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9899318
- **Project number:** 5R01MH115840-02
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Teresa Brockie
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $756,651
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-04-01 → 2024-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9899318

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9899318, Wa'Kan Ye'Zah: Enhancing caregivers' and children's well-being through an evidence-based and culturally informed prevention intervention (5R01MH115840-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9899318. Licensed CC0.

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