Preventing Firearm Violence in Youth: A Hospital-based Prevention Strategy

NCT ID: NCT05078164

Last Updated: 2026-02-04

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 300 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2022-05-04
• Study Completion Date: 2026-12-31

Brief Summary

The goal of the study is to understand if hospital-based violence interventions are effective for reducing youth violence among violently injured youth. This study will allow researchers to learn more about the intervention's effectiveness. The researchers also want to understand if the violence intervention impacts other behaviors, such as firearm use, drug use, aggression, risky behaviors, and rates of violent re-injury.

Detailed Description

The purpose of this research study is to find out if a hospital-based violence intervention (Bridging the Gap) is effective for reducing youth violence. Researchers think that youth who receive the Bridging the Gap will see greater improvements than youth who do not receive the intervention. Approximately 300 youth patients and 300 adult caregivers will enroll in this study. Participants will be randomized into a study group (either Bridging the Gap or Treatment as Usual). If patients agree to the study but do not like the group they are assigned to, they can request to switch groups. Participants assigned to the Treatment as Usual intervention will receive a brief violence awareness brochure during their hospital stay. Participants assigned to the Bridging the Gap intervention will receive an in-hospital intervention and, once released from the hospital, will receive 3-months of community case management services with their families. The study team thinks that youth who receive the Bridging the Gap intervention will see greater improvements than youth who do not receive the intervention. Participation in this study will last up to 6 months.

Conditions

Violence in Adolescence

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Treatment as Usual

Youth who will not receive BTG services and will receive treatment as usual (TAU) in the hospital.

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Bridging the Gap (BTG)

Youth randomized to Bridging the Gap (BTG) services will receive a hospital-based violence prevention program with 3-months of community case management and a firearm counseling program.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Bridging the Gap (BTG)

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Bridging the Gap: Bridging the Gap is a hybrid model for violence prevention which integrates a hospital-based brief violence intervention (BVI) delivered to the patient while in hospital with a wrap-around community case management prevention strategy.

Firearm Counseling Program: The firearm counseling program was developed to be administered in the hospital alongside the 6-step intervention program, as well as in the patient's home after hospital discharge. The firearm safety counseling program includes 3 components aimed at understanding patient risk, reducing firearm-related violence risk-factors, and helping patients increase firearm safety practices.

Interventions

Bridging the Gap (BTG)

Bridging the Gap: Bridging the Gap is a hybrid model for violence prevention which integrates a hospital-based brief violence intervention (BVI) delivered to the patient while in hospital with a wrap-around community case management prevention strategy.

Firearm Counseling Program: The firearm counseling program was developed to be administered in the hospital alongside the 6-step intervention program, as well as in the patient's home after hospital discharge. The firearm safety counseling program includes 3 components aimed at understanding patient risk, reducing firearm-related violence risk-factors, and helping patients increase firearm safety practices.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

1. Youth are aged 10-17 years and their adult caregivers are aged 18 years and older

2. Receiving treatment in the hospital for a violence-related injury (e.g., gunshot wound) or referred to BTG/IVPP services

3. English speaking

4. Eligible for BTG services (which includes living within the BTG catchment area for the hospital; Richmond City and neighboring counties)

Exclusion Criteria

1. Youth are < 10 years old

2. Youth are > 18 years old

3. Prisoners

• Minimum Eligible Age: 10 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 17 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

NIH

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Virginia Commonwealth University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Nicholas Thomson

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Virginia Commonwealth University

Locations

Virginia Commonwealth University

Richmond, Virginia, United States

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

United States

Central Contacts

Nicholas Thomson

Role: CONTACT

Nicholas.Thomson@vcuhealth.org

804-628-5541

Other Identifiers

1R01HD108025

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

HM20022975

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id