A Virtual Reality Brief Violence Intervention: Preventing Gun Violence Among Violently Injured Adults

NCT06239285 | Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: HM20027823_ThomsonR01CE003625
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 220
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The overall aim of the proposed project is to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of Brief Violence Intervention-Virtual Reality (BVI-VR) for reducing firearm-related violence, re-injury, and mortality among victims of violence. Outcome measures of firearm-related violence will come from multiple sources, including criminal background checks, hospital data, state-level data, semi-structured clinical assessments, and self-report assessments. In addition, the study aims to understand the impact of BVI-VR on psychosocial mediators resulting in a reduction of firearm-related violence. This will include self-report surveys, neurocognitive assessments, and clinical assessments. The economic efficiency of BVI-VR as a firearm-related violence intervention will also evaluated. To achieve these aims, a randomized control trial (RCT) in a large sample of violently injured adults (18+ years) from VCU Health will be conducted.

Conditions

Violence

Keywords

Firearm Violence Victim

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

• Firearm-related violence /The gun violence questionnaire

  The gun violence questionnaire is a 9-item self-report that assesses firearm-related violence. Items were adapted from the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire physical aggression scale; for example, "Given enough provocation, I may fire my gun at another person". The measure has adequate internal consistency (α = .75) and good convergent and discriminant validity with other violence related measures

  Baseline self-report, 3- and 6-months post-randomization

• Gun Behaviors and Beliefs Scale

  Gun Behaviors and Beliefs Scale will be used to measure gun behaviors and beliefs that may be impacted by the intervention: Safety and Control, Social Perceptions, Emotional Risk, Common Beliefs. The subscales have demonstrated adequate to good internal consistency (α = .79-.96).

  3 and 6 month post baseline

• Firearm criminal conviction and arrests/ Criminal Background Checks

  Criminal background checks will be conducted on participants to assess violent criminal arrests and gun-related crimes and police contacts. Criminal activity will be coded for the occurrence of nonviolent crime, violent crime, and firearm-related crime for three-time points: prior to baseline assessment, from baseline to 3-month follow-up, and from 3-month follow-up to the 6-month follow-up.

  prior to baseline assessment, from baseline to 3-month follow-up, and from 3-month follow-up to the 6-month follow-up.

• Non-convicted firearm-related violent crime/ Violent Crime Assessment

  Violent Crime Assessment is a semi-structured clinical assessment of convicted and non-convicted violent crime. The measure captures six categories of violent crimes that participants have and have not been arrested for; simple assault, aggravated assault, homicide, robbery, rape, and sexual assault. Information is collected on weapon use for each of the crimes (e.g., used a firearm during rape; fired a gun at a party and may have hit someone). The VCA provides a valuable index for firearm-related violence that is not captured in self-report measures or criminal background checks.

  3 and 6 month post baseline

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Firearm-related re-injury/ Self-report

  3 and 6 month post baseline

• Firearm-related re-injury/ Hospital data: Virginia Department of Health

  3 and 6 month post baseline

• Firearm-related mortality/ Hospital data; Virginia Department of Health; National Death Index

  3 and 6 month post baseline

Study Arms (2)

Treatment as Usual (TAU) Group

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

The treatment-as-usual (TAU) group will receive a community resource brochure (the same one that is provided at the end of BVI-VR). This brochure provides contact detail for services in the local area.

Other: Treatment as Usual (TAU)

Intervention Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Patients randomized into the BVI-VR group will answer questions about the session content and the rationale for the content. Their responses will provide an estimate of engagement providing a better understanding of treatment fidelity.

Device: Brief Violence Intervention VR (BVI-VR)

Interventions

Brief Violence Intervention VR (BVI-VR) DEVICE

BVI-VR is being developed as a hospital-based brief gun violence intervention program founded on the principles of positive psychology, motivational goal setting (via gameplay), psychoeducation, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and dialectical behavioral therapy. All steps of the BVI-VR emphasize being in control of making positive choices, and how to locate and leverage opportunities within their communities to improve their well-being. BVI-VR empowers patients to be the driver of their well-being

Intervention Group

Treatment as Usual (TAU) OTHER

group will receive a community resource brochure (the same one that is provided at the end of BVI-VR). This brochure provides contact detail for services in the local area. These include organizations that provide mental health counseling, mentorship services, career development programs, organized community activities and sports, educational support, financial support, substance abuse programs, and resource assistance (e.g., food, housing, etc.).

Treatment as Usual (TAU) Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• violently injured patients from VCU's Level 1 Trauma Center
• years or older
• English-speaking

You may not qualify if:

• Under 18 years old
• Not a victim of Violent crime

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Virginia Commonwealth University: lead
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Virginia Commonwealth University

Richmond, Virginia, 232398, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Therapeutics

Study Officials

• Nicholas Thomson

  Virginia Commonwealth University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Nicholas Thomson

CONTACT

(804) 297-5740; Nicholas.thomson@vcuhealth.org

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: A randomized control trial (RCT) in a large sample of violently injured adults (18+ years) from VCU Health.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 26, 2024
• First Posted: February 2, 2024
• Study Start: February 26, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): October 1, 2026
• Last Updated: June 8, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-06

Locations

US (1)