Intentional Self-Harm by Other Specified Means Clinical Trial
Official title:
Comparison of Lethal Means Counseling and an Active Control Condition, With and Without Provision of Gun Locks for Improving Safe Storage of Personal Firearms Among National Guard Personnel
| NCT number | NCT03375099 |
| Other study ID # | CH2-17022105 |
| Secondary ID | |
| Status | Completed |
| Phase | N/A |
| First received | |
| Last updated | |
| Start date | June 1, 2017 |
| Est. completion date | July 14, 2020 |
| Verified date | May 2021 |
| Source | University of Southern Mississippi |
| Contact | n/a |
| Is FDA regulated | No |
| Health authority | |
| Study type | Interventional |
In 2013, the National Guard reported a suicide rate that was substantially higher than both the general population and the active duty component of the United States military. The prototypical National Guard suicide decedent appears to be a young male firearm owner not currently deployed who dies using his own gun. Prior research within the military has revealed that soldiers are unlikely to seek out or engage in mental health services. In sum, current best practices in suicide risk assessment are poorly equipped to identify the individuals most likely to die by suicide. This study aims to examine the acceptability, feasibility, and utility of a single lethal means counseling session as part of a suicide prevention approach targeting demographic groups overrepresented in National Guard firearm suicides. 232 firearm-owning National Guard personnel will be randomized to one of four conditions, each of which requires a single 15-25 minute session: (1) lethal means counseling (2) lethal means counseling plus the provision of free gun locks (3) health and stress control condition (4) health and stress control condition plus the provision of free gun locks. The investigators anticipate that those who receive lethal means counseling will subsequently store their personal firearms more safely and report being more willing to store their firearms away from the home during any hypothetical future suicidal crisis. The overarching goal of each hypothesis is to examine the extent to which gun owning young male National Guard personnel at varying levels of suicide risk are willing to engage in means safety.
| Status | Completed |
| Enrollment | 232 |
| Est. completion date | July 14, 2020 |
| Est. primary completion date | July 14, 2020 |
| Accepts healthy volunteers | Accepts Healthy Volunteers |
| Gender | All |
| Age group | 18 Years to 60 Years |
| Eligibility | Inclusion Criteria: - Affiliated with the National Guard - Owns at least one personal firearm - Speaks English fluently Exclusion Criteria: - N/A |
| Country | Name | City | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | University of Southern Mississippi | Hattiesburg | Mississippi |
| Lead Sponsor | Collaborator |
|---|---|
| University of Southern Mississippi | University of Utah |
United States,
Anestis MD, Bryan CJ, Capron DW, Bryan AO. Lethal Means Counseling, Distribution of Cable Locks, and Safe Firearm Storage Practices Among the Mississippi National Guard: A Factorial Randomized Controlled Trial, 2018-2020. Am J Public Health. 2021 Feb;111( — View Citation
| Type | Measure | Description | Time frame | Safety issue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | Changes in Safe Storage of Personal Firearms | Whether firearms are stored (1) in a lock box or gun safe (yes/no) (2) loaded (yes/no) (3) separate from ammunition (yes/no) and (4) using a locking device (e.g. cable lock; yes/no) | Change will be assessed at 3- and 6-month follow-up | |
| Secondary | Perceived Cultural Competence and Likelihood of Effectiveness of Lethal Means Counseling [Acceptability and Perceived Utility] | Degree to which lethal means counseling is experienced as culturally respectful and likely to be beneficial | This will be assessed immediately after the intervention at baseline | |
| Secondary | Changes in Willingness to Seek Mental Health Care in the Future | Degree of openness to seeking future mental health care after receiving this intervention | Change will be assessed immediately after the intervention and at 3- and 6-month follow-up | |
| Secondary | Changes Openness to Means Safety in the Future | Degree of openness to voluntarily and temporarily storing firearms away from the home during hypothetical future suicidal crises | Change will be assessed immediately after the intervention and at 3- and 6-month follow-up |