NCT07305467

Enhancing an Existing Prevention Strategy to Reduce Intentional Firearm Injuries Among High-risk Youth (Phase 1)

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 45 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Virginia Commonwealth University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 13 Years – 17 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Over the past three decades, substantial resources have been devoted to developing youth violence prevention (YVP) programs. These programs have demonstrated positive effects on reducing aggression and related behaviors, firearm-specific risk factors were largely overlooked due to historical barriers to firearm research. This omission is concerning, as firearms are now the leading cause of injury and death among U.S. youth. Existing YVP strategies such as Emerging Leaders address general violence risk but do not directly target firearm-related risks or suicide prevention. There remains a critical gap in prevention strategies that integrate firearm-specific content while leveraging established program infrastructure.

Detailed description

This study will utilize youth participatory action research (YPAR) to co-develop the SAFE Futures intervention. The SAFE Futures Intervention is a grounded theory of firearm-related behavior change, and it has developed the SAFE Futures single-session intervention through focus groups and youth participatory action research. The study is designed to determine whether adding SAFE Futures to the Emerging Leaders program reduces risk factors associated with intentional firearm violence and suicide among high-risk youth. An advisory board of N=15 high-risk youth will be recruited, and data from focus groups will be analyzed using grounded theory methodology to examine attitudes, norms, personal agency, and contextual influences that promote or deter youth from engaging in risky and safe firearm behaviors (e.g., gun carrying, safe storage). The youth advisory board will use the resulting theory to develop SAFE Futures.

Conditions

• Prevention

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Establish an advisory board of high-risk youth	Fifteen high-risk youth will be recruited to establish an advisory board
OTHER	Feedback and advice sessions	The youth advisory board will provide feedback and advice on the research questions, methodology, and interpretation of data through approximately fifteen, 60-minute meetings
OTHER	Youth advisory board training	Youth will be trained in the social-ecological model and health behavior change theories, to better conceptualize the link between theory and intervention content, and to participate in the research process more actively.
OTHER	Semi-structured focus groups	Will participate in a semi-structured focus group protocol developed in collaboration with the youth advisory board while incorporating knowledge from the empirical literature and health behavior change theories.

Timeline

• Start date: 2026-04-01
• Primary completion: 2027-01-01
• Completion: 2027-01-01
• First posted: 2025-12-26
• Last updated: 2026-04-16

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States