Addressing Root Causes for Gun Violence Prevention (ARC-GVP)

Addressing Root Causes for Gun Violence Prevention (ARC-GVP) Outcomes Study

The goal of this study is to help build the evidence base for a locally-relevant youth firearm violence prevention program in Washington D.C., a city experiencing disparities in youth firearm violence outcomes.

The main question it aims to answer is:

How is youth participation in the summer youth employment program, the True Reasons I Grabbed the Gun Evolved from Risk (The T.R.I.G.G.E.R Project), which is designed to address root causes of gun violence, associated with individual youth behavioral outcomes, including pro-social involvement, aggression, and firearm-related attitudes and behaviors?

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Adolescent; Aggression; Violence; Firearm Injury
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: The T.R.I.G.G.E.R Project

Detailed Description

The goal of this study is to help build the evidence base for a locally-relevant youth firearm violence prevention program in a city experiencing disparities in youth firearm violence outcomes. The main question it aims to answer is:

How is youth participation in a summer youth employment program that is designed to address root causes of gun violence (The T.R.I.G.G.E.R project), associated with individual youth behavioral outcomes, including pro-social involvement, retaliatory attitudes, aggression, and firearm behaviors?

To examine this question, participants will be invited to complete four surveys over the course of one year to assess attitudinal and behavioral change:

• A pre-test at the start of the program
• A first post-test 2-4 weeks following the conclusion of the program
• A second post-test 6 months following the conclusion of the program
• A third and final post-test 12 months following the conclusion of the program

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 250

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Laney Rupp, MPH; Phone Number: 734-647-6469; Email: laneyr@umich.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Michigan
    • Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States, 48103
      • Recruiting
      • University of Michigan

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Youth in Washington D.C. who are participating in The T.R.I.G.G.E.R Project, a grassroots youth firearm violence prevention program

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Youth in Washington D.C. who are participating in The T.R.I.G.G.E.R Project, a grassroots youth firearm violence prevention program

Exclusion Criteria:

• Emancipated minors

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

4

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Wave 1; Youth participants who are enrolled in The T.R.I.G.G.E.R Project's summer youth employment program in 2022	Behavioral: The T.R.I.G.G.E.R Project; The T.R.I.G.G.E.R Project includes the following core components to address root causes of gun violence: Summer Employment; Social and Emotional Learning; Future Orientation; Adult and Peer Support; Critical Consciousness; Civic Efficacy and Engagement
Wave 2; Youth participants who are enrolled in The T.R.I.G.G.E.R Project's summer youth employment program in 2023	Behavioral: The T.R.I.G.G.E.R Project; The T.R.I.G.G.E.R Project includes the following core components to address root causes of gun violence: Summer Employment; Social and Emotional Learning; Future Orientation; Adult and Peer Support; Critical Consciousness; Civic Efficacy and Engagement
Wave 3; Youth participants who are enrolled in The T.R.I.G.G.E.R Project's summer youth employment program in 2024	Behavioral: The T.R.I.G.G.E.R Project; The T.R.I.G.G.E.R Project includes the following core components to address root causes of gun violence: Summer Employment; Social and Emotional Learning; Future Orientation; Adult and Peer Support; Critical Consciousness; Civic Efficacy and Engagement
Wave 4; Youth participants who are enrolled in The T.R.I.G.G.E.R Project's summer youth employment program in 2025	Behavioral: The T.R.I.G.G.E.R Project; The T.R.I.G.G.E.R Project includes the following core components to address root causes of gun violence: Summer Employment; Social and Emotional Learning; Future Orientation; Adult and Peer Support; Critical Consciousness; Civic Efficacy and Engagement

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Civic Efficacy	The investigators will assess change in civic efficacy (i.e., youth participants' sense of belief that they can create positive change in their communities) over time using the 3-item Civic Efficacy scale; the unit(s) of measurement are the Mean and Standard Deviation of scale scores; Minimum Value: 1 Maximum Value: 5, higher scores indicate a better outcome	Outcomes will be measured at 4 time points over 1 year: at the start of the summer programs, 2-4 weeks post, 6-months post, and 1-year post participation
Change in Pro-Social Involvement	The investigators will assess change in pro-social involvement (i.e., youth participants' involvement in pro-social community organizations and activities) over time using an 8-item adapted Participation in Groups and Voluntary Organizations scale; the units of measurement are the Mean and Standard Deviation of scale scores; Minimum Value: 0 Maximum Value: 8; higher scores indicate a better outcome	Outcomes will be measured at 4 time points over 1 year: at the start of the summer programs, 2-4 weeks post, 6-months post, and 1-year post participation
Change in Attitudes towards Violence and Retaliation	The investigators will assess change in youth participants' attitudes toward violence and retaliation over time using a 3-item Retaliatory Attitudes scale; the units of measurement are the Mean and Standard Deviation of scale scores; Minimum Value: 1 Maximum Value: 5; lower scores indicate a better outcome	Outcomes will be measured at 4 time points over 1 year: at the start of the summer programs, 2-4 weeks post, 6-months post, and 1-year post participation
Change in Aggressive Behavior	The investigators will assess change in non-firearm related aggressive behavior (i.e., fighting, non-firearm weapon carriage) over time using a 3-item Aggressive Behaviors scale; the unit(s) of measurement are the Mean and Standard Deviation of scale scores; Minimum: 0, Maximum: 15, lower scores indicate a better outcome	Outcomes will be measured at 4 time points over 1 year: at the start of the summer programs, 2-4 weeks post, 6-months post, and 1-year post participation
Change in Firearm Carriage Frequency	The investigators will assess change in the frequency of firearm carriage (for any reason besides hunting, target shooting, competitive shooting, or recreation) over time using 1-item; the unit(s) of measurement are the Mean and Standard Deviation of scale scores; Minimum: 1 Maximum: 7, lower scores indicate a better outcome	Outcomes will be measured at 4 time points over 1 year: at the start of the summer programs, 2-4 weeks post, 6-months post, and 1-year post participation
Change in Firearm Use	The investigators will assess change in youth participants' firearm use (i.e., handling a gun, firing a gun, holding a gun in a selfie) over time, using a three-item Firearm Use scale; the unit(s) of measurement are the Means and Standard Deviations of scale scores, Minimum: 0 Maximum: 18, lower scores indicate a better outcome	Outcomes will be measured at 4 time points over 1 year: at the start of the summer programs, 2-4 weeks post, 6-months post, and 1-year post participation
Change in Firearm Aggression	The investigators will assess change in youth participants' firearm aggression (i.e., threatening someone with a gun, firing at or around someone), using a two-item scale adapted from the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale; the unit(s) of measurement are the Means and Standard Deviations of scale scores, Minimum: 0 Maximum: 10, lower scores indicate a better outcome	Outcomes will be measured at 4 time points over 1 year: at the start of the summer programs, 2-4 weeks post, 6-months post, and 1-year post participation

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Michigan
• Collaborators: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Marc Zimmerman, PhD, University of Michigan

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Crocetti E, Jahromi P, Meeus W. Identity and civic engagement in adolescence. J Adolesc. 2012 Jun;35(3):521-32. doi: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2011.08.003. Epub 2011 Aug 24.
• Copeland-Linder N, Jones VC, Haynie DL, Simons-Morton BG, Wright JL, Cheng TL. Factors associated with retaliatory attitudes among African American adolescents who have been assaulted. J Pediatr Psychol. 2007 Aug;32(7):760-70. doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsm007. Epub 2007 Apr 2.
• Black, S., & Hausman, A. (2008). Adolescents' views of guns in a high-violence community. Journal of Adolescent Research, 23(5), 592-610. http://doi.org/10.1177/0743558408322142
• Multisite Violence Prevention Project. The multisite violence prevention project: background and overview. Am J Prev Med. 2004 Jan;26(1 Suppl):3-11. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2003.09.017.
• Straus, M., Hamby, S., Boney-McCoy, S., Sugarman, D. (1996). The Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2): Development and preliminary psychometric data. Journal of Family Issues, 17(3), 283-316.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 27, 2022
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 30, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 2, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): June 5, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 5, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 2, 2023
• Last Verified: June 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Positive Youth Development; Youth Violence Prevention; Gun Violence Prevention
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Aggression
• Other Study ID Numbers: HUM00215637

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: The investigators will archive the data collected for this study in the Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention (IFIP) Data Repository so that the data will be connected to a national data resource on firearm injury prevention research. The IFIP repository is housed online at the Inter-University Consortium for Social and Political Research (ICPSR) (https://www.openicpsr.org/openicpsr/facts-open). All data uploaded to the repository will be de-identified, such that all sensitive, identifiable, or potentially identifiable information will be removed from the dataset. At a minimum, each data deposit in the archive will include the data set(s), codebook, data collection instrument, and a summary of the project.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: All final data collected during the course of this research will be disseminated in a timely manner and as completely and accurately as possible, in accordance with Centers for Disease Control policy. The investigators will make the final version of the collected public health datasets available in a non-proprietary format within 30 months after the end of data collection in September 2026 via the Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention (IFIP) Data Repository portal. All identifiers will be removed from the data prior to dissemination. In compliance with the 1996 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) wherever applicable. The data will be provided in standard file formats accompanied by the necessary documentation to allow for independent analyses. Once deposited, the de-identified data will be publicly available indefinitely.
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: The de-identified data set(s) will be made publicly available without restrictions
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No