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NCT Number: NCT07475247

A Hospital-based Intervention for Youth Injured Through Violence

The firearm violence epidemic is a major public health problem, especially for youth. Every day in the US, approximately 100 people fall casualty to firearms through forms of violence, such as homicide, suicide, and unintentional or accidental injuries. Among youth, firearm violence remains the leading cause of death, and each year the rate of firearm-related mortality is increasing. Beyond the significant and devastating cost of human life, firearm violence is an enormous economic burden to the US, which totals an estimated $229 billion annually. In urban communities with high rates of firearm-related violence, firearm-related emergency department visits are extremely draining on the hospital system. At the national level, firearm-related injuries account for $2.8 billion annually in emergency department care each.

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Key information

Conditions

Violence

Age range

13 year–17 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Virginia Commonwealth University

Richmond, Virginia, 23298, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Nicholas Thomson

CONTACT

[email protected]

804-628-5541

About this study

In the state of Virginia, the rates of firearm-related fatalities are over seven times higher than the national rates, and the pandemic has made this worse, as we have seen a 52% increase in firearm-related hospitalizations. With the surge in firearm violence seen nationwide, there is a dire need for new, innovative, and effective interventions for preventing firearm-related violence, injury, and mortality among youth. Hospital-based brief violence interventions can result in long-term improvement. There is a plethora of research supporting that brief violence interventions can result in long-term improvements, including interventions for violence. Less is known about the extent to which they are effective for reducing firearm-related violence. Hospital-based brief violence interventions save lives and money. Most of the people who are violently injured are indigent and without health insurance. Inpatient costs for injury at VCU Trauma Center ranging from $33,000 to $300,000 per youth, and a national cost of violence estimated at $21 billion annually. The goal of this project is to evaluate Elevate VR an effective and innovative virtual reality (VR) brief violence intervention to prevent firearm-related violence, injury, and mortality among youth.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Youth participant inclusion criteria:

  • Aged 13-17 years old
  • English speaking

Youth participant exclusion criteria:

  • Youth aged <13 years and >17 years old
  • Non-English speaking
  • Youth of caregivers younger than 18 years old

Adult/caregiver participant inclusion criteria:

  • Aged 18 years or older

Adult/caregiver participant exclusion criteria:

  • Aged younger than 18 years

Treatment and study plan

Elevate Virtual Reality (VR)

Other

Elevate VR is a brief violence intervention program founded on the principles of positive psychology, motivational goal setting (via gameplay), psychoeducation, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and dialectical behavioral therapy. Elevate VR includes five psychoeducational topic modules creating a 40-minute brief violence intervention. This duration is similar to well-established brief hospital-based violence interventions.

Assessement completion

Other

Questionnaires will be administered to assess Firearm-related violence ( The Gun Violence Questionnaire), Violent crime (Violent Crime Assessment) and Firearm-related attitudes and beliefs (Firearm Aggression Questionnaire)

Primary outcomes

  1. Firearm-related violence assessment

    Time frame: Baseline, Follow-up at 1 and 3 months post baseline

    The Gun Violence Questionnaire is a 4-item screening tool used primarily in healthcare settings to predict the risk of future firearm violence among youth and young adults. Individuals are classified into low-risk (0 points), medium-risk (1-5 points), or high-risk (≥ 6 points)

  2. Violent crime assessment

    Time frame: Baseline, Follow-up at 1 and 3 months post baseline

    Violent Crime Assessment is a process used by forensic, legal, and clinical professionals to estimate the likelihood, nature, and severity of future violent behavior. A 26-item tool that measures 6 static and 20 dynamic variables to assess both risk and potential for treatment change. Total scores typically range from -32 to +40; higher scores indicate a higher probability of re-offending.

  3. Firearm-related attitudes and beliefs assessment

    Time frame: Baseline, Follow-up at 1 and 3 months post baseline

    Firearm Aggression Questionnaire contains subscales for reactive violence (e.g., using a gun when provoked) and proactive violence (e.g., using a gun to take things from others). Items are rated on a 3-point scale (0 = never, 1 = sometimes, 2 = often), with higher total scores indicating a greater frequency of firearm violence.

  4. Firearm-related re-injury

    Time frame: Baseline, Follow-up at 1 and 3 months post baseline

    Number of injuries with and without hospitalization count. The lower the number is desired.

  5. Risky behaviors

    Time frame: Baseline, Follow-up at 1 and 3 months post baseline

    Youth Risk and Behavior Survey (YRBS) is a survey monitoring health-risk behaviors among U.S. high school students (grades 9-12). It tracks six main areas: injury/violence, sexual behaviors, substance use, diet, physical activity, and mental health. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is not "scored" like a typical academic or clinical test where individuals receive a personal score. Instead, it is a surveillance tool used to calculate prevalence estimates (percentages) for specific health-risk behaviors across a population.

  6. Personality traits

    Time frame: Baseline, Follow-up at 1 and 3 months post baseline

    Behavior Assessment System for Children is a comprehensive, multi-method tool used by professionals (such as school psychologists and clinicians) to evaluate the individual behavioral and emotional status of children and young adults . BASC-3 results are reported as T-scores, which have a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10. The higher the score, the higher the risk.

  7. Future aspirations

    Time frame: Baseline, Follow-up at 1 and 3 months post baseline

    The Positive Outlook Survey used to measure a student's psychological well-being, resilience, and optimism. Likert scales (e.g., 1 to 5) used to calculate a total "positivity" or "optimism" score. The higher the score, the higher the optimism.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Nicholas Thomson

CONTACT

[email protected]

804-628-5541

Terri Sullivan

CONTACT

[email protected]

804-828-9304

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Virginia Commonwealth University

Other

Collaborators

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

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2028
Study completion
2028
First posted
Mar 16, 2026
Registry last updated
Jul 2, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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