An interventional study of Gun handling behavior and Debriefing in Psychology, Social and Adolescent Behavior, sponsored by Ohio State University. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 8 Years to 12 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-11-20.
Sponsored by Ohio State University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Other
The investigators' previous research has shown that children exposed to media characters with guns in movies and video games are more likely to use real guns themselves (e.g., touch them, hold them, pull the trigger). This research tests whether exposure to a gun safety video a week before the study can help counteract dangerous behavior around guns.
Guns are prominent in movies that target children. An analysis of top selling films found that the depiction of guns in violent scenes in PG-13 films that target youth has increased from the level of G and PG files in 1985 when the rating was introduced, to the level of R films by 2005, to exceed the level of R films since 2012, a trend that has continued.
Research in the investigator's lab has shown that children are more likely to use guns (e.g., handle them, pull the trigger) after exposure to movie characters who use guns. The investigators replicated this study using video games, and also found that children who had taken a gun safety course were less likely to engage in dangerous behavior around firearms. However, it is difficult to draw causal inferences about the gun safety course because children were not randomly assigned to take or not take a gun safety course.
The present research will aim to reduce dangerous behavior around firearms by first exposing participants to a gun safety video recorded by The Ohio State University Chief of Police. The control video is about car safety. Children will see the videos about a week before they come into the lab.
In the lab, children will be tested in pairs. They will first watch a film clip from one of two different PG rated films, either in its original form (with guns) or with the guns edited out. After exposure to the film, participants will be placed in a room with toys, including two real unloaded guns that have been modified for safety and include a trigger pull counter.
The study uses 2 (gun safety video vs. car safety video) X 2 (movie with guns vs. movie without guns) between-subjects factorial design.
The investigators predict that children will be less likely to engage in dangerous behavior around real firearms after viewing the gun safety video than those who viewed the car safety video, even if they see a movie with guns in the lab.
75 studies on the registry are indexed under Adolescent Behavior; 21 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 245 is above the median of 178 across 67 interventional studies indexed under Adolescent Behavior.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Participants in this condition will view a gun safety video featuring The Ohio State University Chief of Police about a week before coming into the lab. In the lab, they will watch a \~20 minute clip of either The Rocketeer or National Treasure featuring guns.
Behavioral: Gun handling behavior · Other: Debriefing
Participants in this condition will view a gun safety video featuring The Ohio State University Chief of Police about a week before coming into the lab. In the lab, they will watch a \~20 minute clip of either The Rocketeer or National Treasure with the guns edited out.
Behavioral: Gun handling behavior · Other: Debriefing
Participants in this condition will view a seatbelt safety video about a week before coming into the lab. In the lab, they will watch a \~20 minute clip of either The Rocketeer or National Treasure featuring guns.
Behavioral: Gun handling behavior · Other: Debriefing
Participants in this condition will view a seatbelt safety video about a week before coming into the lab. In the lab, they will watch a \~20 minute clip of either The Rocketeer or National Treasure featuring guns.
Behavioral: Gun handling behavior · Other: Debriefing
Children will play in an observed room for 20 minutes. Aside from a selection of toys, two real handguns will be placed in a drawer. The handguns have been modified so they cannot fire. Inside the magazine, the handgun contains no bullets. Instead, it contains a sensor that counts the number of times the trigger is pulled with sufficient force to discharge the gun. This allows us to distinguish reliably the children who pull the trigger from those who handle the gun but do not pull the trigger
Children and their parents will be debriefed on the actual purpose of the study, including the role of the safety video and how the movie clips were edited.
Behavioral: Gun Location
Trained research assistants, blind to video game condition and experimental hypotheses, will independently code the play session videos. Coders will identify whether the participants found the handguns, how long the participants held the handgun, and whether or not they pulled the trigger.
Time frame: 20 minutes play session
Behavioral: Gun Location Response - Told Adult
If the participants found the handguns, the coders will identify whether the participants told an adult.
Time frame: 20 minutes play session
Behavioral: Gun Location Response - Touched Gun
If the participants found the handguns, the coders will identify whether the participants touched the handgun.
Time frame: 20 minute play session
Behavioral: Gun Holding Time
If participants handle the gun, coders will record how long the gun was held.
Time frame: 20 minutes play session
Behavioral: Trigger Pulled
When the gun was handled, this measures whether or not the participant(s) pulled the trigger.
Time frame: 20 minute play session
Number of Trigger Pulls
The two guns hidden in the playroom contain sensors that count how often the trigger is pulled with sufficient force to discharge the gun. A counter on the weapon displays the number of pulls, which will be entered into a data file along with the observational data described below. Observational data will also be used to confirm trigger pull counts. Note: This measure includes all 216 participants who found the handguns.
Time frame: 20 minutes play session
Gun Pointing With Trigger Pull
Trained research assistants, blind to video game condition and experimental hypotheses, will independently code the play session videos. If participants pulled the trigger, were they pointing the gun at themselves or their partners? Calculations done using all participants who found a firearm.
Time frame: 20 minute play session
Attitudes Toward Guns
Participants will complete a post-test questionnaire that collects data on the child's attitudes towards guns. Questionnaire is a 15-item attitudes towards guns survey (e.g., "I don't like being around people with guns because someone could end up getting hurt"; 0=strongly disagree to 4=strongly agree
Time frame: After 20 minutes play session, 5 minute questionnaire
Participants were recruited via Facebook ads, ResearchMatch, and referrals by parents/guardians.
| Milestone | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Present | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Present | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Absent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Started | 58 | 60 | 58 | 50 |
| Completed | 54 | 58 | 54 | 50 |
| Not completed | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Withdrew: Excluded (did not find the guns) | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
Trained research assistants, blind to video game condition and experimental hypotheses, will independently code the play session videos. Coders will identify whether the participants found the handguns, how long the participants held the handgun, and whether or not they pulled the trigger.
| Participants | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Present | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Present |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Found guns | 50 | 54 | 58 | 54 |
| Didn't find guns (excluded from final analyses) | 0 | 4 | 2 | 4 |
If the participants found the handguns, the coders will identify whether the participants told an adult.
| Participants | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Present | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Present |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Behavioral: Gun Location Response - Told Adult | 6 | 5 | 18 | 20 |
If the participants found the handguns, the coders will identify whether the participants touched the handgun.
| Participants | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Present | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Present |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Behavioral: Gun Location Response - Touched Gun | 37 | 33 | 26 | 18 |
If participants handle the gun, coders will record how long the gun was held.
| seconds | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Present | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Present |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Behavioral: Gun Holding Time | 101.42 ± 219.91 | 100.40 ± 174.47 | 53.43 ± 143.13 | 31.55 ± 95.01 |
When the gun was handled, this measures whether or not the participant(s) pulled the trigger.
| Participants | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Present | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Present |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Behavioral: Trigger Pulled | 17 | 14 | 7 | 3 |
The two guns hidden in the playroom contain sensors that count how often the trigger is pulled with sufficient force to discharge the gun. A counter on the weapon displays the number of pulls, which will be entered into a data file along with the observational data described below. Observational data will also be used to confirm trigger pull counts. Note: This measure includes all 216 participants who found the handguns.
| Trigger pulls | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Present | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Present |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Trigger Pulls | 7.26 ± 14.66 | 7.90 ± 17.36 | 6.41 ± 26.51 | 1.96 ± 9.55 |
Trained research assistants, blind to video game condition and experimental hypotheses, will independently code the play session videos. If participants pulled the trigger, were they pointing the gun at themselves or their partners? Calculations done using all participants who found a firearm.
| Trigger pulls | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Present | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Present |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gun Pointing With Trigger Pull | 2.60 ± 12.96 | 1.74 ± 8.64 | 2.34 ± 5.78 | 1.38 ± 4.83 |
Participants will complete a post-test questionnaire that collects data on the child's attitudes towards guns. Questionnaire is a 15-item attitudes towards guns survey (e.g., "I don't like being around people with guns because someone could end up getting hurt"; 0=strongly disagree to 4=strongly agree
| units on a scale | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Present | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Present |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attitudes Toward Guns | 2.99 ± 0.6 | 2.82 ± 0.6 | 3.06 ± 0.6 | 3.15 ± 0.6 |
Collected over Each participant was called two weeks after the date of the study and given a follow-up survey.. Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.
| Group | Deaths | Serious | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | 0/50 (0%) | 0/50 (0%) | 0/50 (0%) |
| Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Present | 0/58 (0%) | 0/58 (0%) | 0/58 (0%) |
| Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | 0/60 (0%) | 0/60 (0%) | 0/60 (0%) |
| Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Present | 0/58 (0%) | 0/58 (0%) | 0/58 (0%) |
| Age, Continuous(years) | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Present | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Present | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | 10.0 ± 1.4 | 10.5 ± 1.3 | 10.1 ± 1.4 | 9.4 ± 1.2 | 9.98 ± 1.38 |
| Sex: Female, Male(Participants) | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Present | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Present | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 20 | 29 | 25 | 29 | 103 |
| Male | 30 | 25 | 33 | 25 | 113 |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)(Participants) | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Present | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Present | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 48 | 53 | 57 | 52 | 210 |
| Unknown or Not Reported | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Race (NIH/OMB)(Participants) | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Present | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Present | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Asian | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Black or African American | 2 | 19 | 8 | 20 | 49 |
| White | 37 | 28 | 34 | 27 | 126 |
| More than one race | 7 | 4 | 12 | 5 | 28 |
| Unknown or Not Reported | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| Region of Enrollment(participants) | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Present | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Present | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 50 | 54 | 58 | 54 | 216 |
| Trait Aggressiveness(units on a scale) | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Present | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Present | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | .55 ± .5 | .36 ± .3 | .49 ± .4 | .45 ± .4 | .46 ± .4 |
| Gun ownership(Participants) | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Present | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Present | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firearm present in the home | 5 | 23 | 15 | 27 | 70 |
| No firearm present in the home | 45 | 31 | 42 | 27 | 145 |
| No response | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Estimated interest in guns(units on a scale) | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Seatbelt Safety Video x Movie Clip - Guns Present | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Absent | Gun Safety Vid x Movie Clip - Guns Present | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | 1.86 ± 1.2 | 1.52 ± 1.3 | 1.69 ± 1.3 | 1.67 ± 1.4 | 1.68 ± 1.3 |
1 further baseline measures are reported on the registry.
Documents are hosted by the registry — open the source record to download them.
Plan to share: Yes — Deidentified data will be shared upon request
Supporting information: Study protocol, Statistical analysis plan, Informed consent form, Clinical study report, Analytic code
Time frame: After the manuscript is accepted for publication. No expiration date.
Access criteria: Data will be open and available to all who want to examine them.
Data sharing details ↗ · osf.io
This study is completed, as verified in Oct 2024. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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