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Adverse Childhood ExperiencesNCT05129501

The Impact of an Adapted Version of the Strengthening Families Program on IPV Among Caregivers and ACEs Among Children

A study testing Experimental in people with Adverse Childhood Experiences and Domestic Violence, run by University of Nebraska Lincoln at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are unfortunately common and the known outcomes are concerning. However, very little is currently known about programs that may prevent ACEs among children, such as witnessing intimate partner violence (IPV) experienced by their caregivers. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 10 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
What is being tested?
Experimental
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
318 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
9 Oct 2021to 31 Oct 2022
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 10 years and older
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Child, Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Youth must be aged 10 to 14
  • Must identify as a Native American, American Indian, Indigenous, and/or Lakota/Nakota/Dakota youth AND/OR live in poverty
  • For caregivers, the inclusion criteria is that they must be a primary caregiver (e.g., parent, grandparent, etc) of a youth that meets criteria
  • Both the youth and the caregiver(s) must be present to participate

Who cannot join

  • Youth younger than 10 or older than 14
  • Not identifying as Native American, American Indian, indigenous, and/or Lakota/Nakota/Dakota youth OR living in poverty
  • Not being a primary caregiver of a youth that meets criteria
  • Not having both the caregiver and youth present

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Rapid City Family Project Office

    Rapid City, South Dakota, 57702

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: The Impact of an Adapted Version of the Strengthening Families Program on Reducing IPV Among Caregivers and ACEs Among Their Children (RCS Update)

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are unfortunately common and the known outcomes are concerning. However, very little is currently known about programs that may prevent ACEs among children, such as witnessing intimate partner violence (IPV) experienced by their caregivers. The purpose of this project is to adapt an existing evidence-based program (i.e., Strengthening Families) to prevent ACEs. A randomized control will be used to determine the initial efficacy of the program. The Strengthening Families program has demonstrated effectiveness in reducing substance use and initiation among youth, and some preliminary evidence suggests that it may be effective at reducing child maltreatment as well. Further, the Strengthening Families program promotes family bonding and cohesion, which are protective factors against ACEs. The Strengthening Families program has been adapted by researchers at UNL (Devan Crawford and Les Whitbeck) for Native American Families (i.e., BII-ZIN-DA-DE-DAH [Listening to One Another]) to prevent substance abuse. Using the Strengthening Families and BII-ZIN-DA-DE-DAH programs, the investigators seek to adapt these programs to prevent ACEs among youth ages 10-14 and their caregivers. The program adaptations are being led by a Community Advisory Board as well as community practitioner partners. The community has named the program Tiwahe Wicaghwicayapi (Lakota for: to strengthen/improve families). Native children and/or children living in poverty, ages 10 to 14, will participate in the program with their families. Participants will be "randomized at the family level" into one of two arms (treatment or control), and children were assigned to the same arm as their caregiver. Half of the families will go first and then the second half of the families will get the program after the last survey. The investigators will use surveys to see if and how the program is working and also interview some people who go through the program. A community Advisory Board is involved in all stages of this project and have the ultimate say about how data are shared.

Read the detailed description

Research documents the concerning rates and negative outcomes of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). ACEs include child abuse as well as indicators of household (e.g., exposure to intimate partner violence [IPV]) and neighborhood (e.g., community violence) dysfunction. To date, little is known about two-generation programs that may simultaneously prevent ACEs among children, including IPV in their caregivers. The purpose of the proposed project is to test the impact of a widely researched alcohol and drug abuse prevention program, the Strengthening Families Program (SFP), on reducing IPV among caregivers, child abuse, and other ACEs among their children (ages 10 to 14). The SFP is for both caregivers and children and consists of parenting skills, children's life skills, and family skills courses taught together in seven 2-hour group sessions preceded by a meal that includes informal family practice time and group leader coaching. Guided by social learning and ecological theories that emphasize the importance of the proximal family environment, the members of this multistakeholder collaborative believe that the SFP has the strong potential to be effective in reducing IPV in caregivers and additional ACEs in their children (e.g., child abuse) given that the SFP focuses on reducing myriad risk and protective factors for not only drug use but also for ACEs, including IPV.

To bolster the program's effectiveness, the investigators will adapt the SFP (the adapted program will be called Tiwahe Wicaghwicayapi, Lakota for "to strengthen/improve families") to be culturally relevant given the large presence of American Indians in Rapid City, SD, where the project will take place; and to have utility for a broader, diverse audience. Notably, service providers in racially diverse communities frequently do not have the resources to implement various prevention programs. Thus, there is a need in many communities for ACEs prevention programming that is culturally grounded and generalizable to the broader community. The investigators will further enhance the Tiwahe Wicaghwicayapi program to include additional evidence-based IPV prevention strategies (e.g., economic empowerment) for adults and peer-to-peer violence prevention strategies (e.g., bystander intervention) for youth.

Outcome and Process Evaluation Aim: To gather efficacy data of the Tiwahe Wicaghwicayapi program using a randomized control trial in which eligible families will be randomly assigned to the treatment condition or a wait-list control condition, using pre-, immediate post- and 6-month post- follow-up surveys to test for reductions in ACEs (e.g., child abuse) in youth ages 10 to 14 and reductions in IPV in caregivers for individuals in the treatment group compared to the wait-list control group. Participants will be "randomized at the family level" into one of two arms (treatment or control), and children are assigned to the same arm as their caregiver. Additionally, some outcome measures are collected only for the children or only for the caregivers.

Being tested
Experimental

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • ExperimentalBehavioural

    The Tiwahe Wicagwicayapi seven-session program is for children ages 10 to 14 who are Native American and/or living in poverty and their caregivers. The program begins with a traditional Lakota meal followed by family time and break-out time for caregivers only and children only. The program includes skill-building activities as well as the integration of Lakota language, history, and culture. The program is facilitated by diverse individuals, predominantly Native Americans in Rapid City and surrounding tribal communities.

Study groups in NCT05129501
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Treatment: Tiwahe WicaghwicayapiExperimentalPart 1: Conduct informed consent process, perform baseline assessments (time 1 survey) Part 2: Complete the program over 7 weeks, fidelity checking during program Part 3: Takes survey immediately after program (time 2 survey) Part 4: Time 3 survey six months after Time 2 survey. Note: Participants are "randomized at the family level" into one of two arms (treatment or control), and children are assigned to the same arm as their caregiver.
Receives: Behavioral: Experimental
Wait List Control: Tiwahe WicaghwicayapiNo interventionPart 1: Conduct informed consent process, perform baseline assessments (time 1 survey) Part 2: Waitlist with access to resources while treatment group completes program Part 3: Takes survey immediately after experimental group completes program (time 2 survey) Part 4: Time 3 survey six months after Time 2 survey *Complete program. Note: Participants are "randomized at the family level" into one of two arms (treatment or control), and children are assigned to the same arm as their caregiver.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Adverse Childhood Experiences-Child Reported

    Comprehensive ACEs Measure (Higher scores indicate higher adverse childhood experiences). Note: As explained in the Pre-Assignment Details, participants were "randomized at the family level" into one of two arms (treatment or control), and children were assigned to the same arm as their caregiver. Additionally, some measures were collected only for the children or only for the caregivers. This particular measure was collected for children only.

    Measured: Past 6 months

  2. Conflict Tactics Scale-Adult Reported

    Intimate Partner Violence (Higher scores indicate higher levels of intimate partner violence victimization). Note: As explained in the Pre-Assignment Details, participants were "randomized at the family level" into one of two arms (treatment or control), and children were assigned to the same arm as their caregiver. Additionally, some measures were collected only for the children or only for the caregivers. This particular measure was collected for adults (i.e., caregivers) only.

    Measured: Past 6 months

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted22 Nov 2021
  2. Study start9 Oct 2021
  3. Primary completion31 Oct 2022
  4. Study completion31 Oct 2022

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
318 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT05129501
Sponsor's protocol ID
21287
Status last verified
Feb 2025
First submitted
7 Oct 2021
Last updated
5 Feb 2025
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No: This data will not be shared publicly due to the sensitive nature and history of data being used to oppress Indigenous groups. The Data Safety Monitoring Board and IRB has have the right to see deidentified data. Any publicly disseminated findings will be approved by the Native Advisory Board and surrounding tribal communities.

Publications

  • Kumpfer, K. L. (1998). Prevention Interventions: The Strengthening Families Program. Drug Abuse Prevention Through Family Interventions, 160-207.

  • Kaufman EA, Xia M, Fosco G, Yaptangco M, Skidmore CR, Crowell SE. The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale Short Form (DERS-SF): Validation and Replication in Adolescent and Adult Samples. J Psychopathol Behav Assess. 2016 Sep;38(3):443-455. doi: 10.1007/s10862-015-9529-3. Epub 2015 Nov 23.

    PubMed 41522882
  • Olson, D. H., Portner, J., & Bell R. Q. (1982). FACES II: Family adaptability and cohesion evaluation scales. Family Social Science, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota.

  • Small, S. A., & Kerns, D. (1993). Unwanted sexual activity among peers during early and middle adolescence: Incidence and risk factors. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 941-952.

  • Straus, M. A., Hamby, S. L., Boney-McCoy, S., & Sugarman, D. B. (1996). The revised conflict tactics scales (CTS2) development and preliminary psychometric data. Journal of family issues, 17(3), 283-316.

  • Waterman EA, Wheeler L, Edwards KM, Herrington R, Mullet N, Hopfauf S. Measures to Assess Efficacy of Family-Based Programs for Indigenous Populations: Adaptation, Psychometric Properties, and Congruence. Fam Process. 2026 Mar;65(1):e70118. doi: 10.1111/famp.70118.

    PubMed 41641935

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Experimental in people with Adverse Childhood Experiences and Domestic Violence, run by University of Nebraska Lincoln at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 5 Feb 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 5 Feb 2025). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Adverse Childhood Experiences-Child Reported (time frame: Past 6 months). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT05129501, which also lists 6 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 5 Feb 2025.

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