Acceptability and Feasibility of a Peer-to-Peer Firearm-Specific Means Safety Intervention

点对点枪支专用手段安全干预的可接受性和可行性

• 批准号: 10369508
• 负责人: Claire Houtsma
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA VETERANS HEALTH CARE
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-04-01 至 2024-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10369508
• 关键词: Adolescent; Award; Belief; Cessation of life; Clinical; Clinical Trials Design; Communities; Consultations; Counseling; Coupled; Data; Development; Devices; Disclosure; Effectiveness; Excision; Feedback; Feeling suicidal; Firearms; Funding; General Population; Goals; Grant; Health Personnel; Healthcare Systems; Home; Individual; Instruction; Intervention; Interview; Investigation; K-Series Research Career Programs; Knowledge; Logistics; Louisiana; Mentors; Mentorship; Methodology; Methods; Military Personnel; Ownership; Participant; Patient Self-Report; Population; Preparation; Probability; Qualitative Methods; Questionnaires; Randomized Controlled Trials; Registries; Research; Research Personnel; Risk; Safety; Science; Scientist; Structure; Suicide prevention; Testing; Time; Training; United States Department of Veterans Affairs; Universities; Veterans; Work; Writing; acceptability and feasibility; arm; base; career; career development; community setting; experience; follow-up; gun control laws; meetings; military veteran; motivational enhancement therapy; outreach; peer; post intervention; preference; recruit; reducing suicide; skills; suicidal; suicidal morbidity; suicidal risk; suicide rate; trial design; virtual

The suicide rate among Veterans is significantly higher than that of the general population, with more than two- thirds of these deaths resulting from firearms. Importantly, research suggests that risk for suicide death is significantly higher when firearms are stored unsafely (e.g., loaded, without a locking device), which appears to be a common practice among Veterans. Lethal means counseling (LMC), an intervention promoting safe storage and/or temporary removal of firearms from the home during times of suicidal crisis, has demonstrated initial effectiveness for increasing safe storage. However, this intervention has yet to be tested in a Veteran population. Furthermore, several cultural and logistical barriers may impede Veterans from obtaining the same benefit as other populations, including low probability of Veterans self-disclosing suicidal thoughts, mistrust of motive (i.e., belief that the conversation is a veiled attempt at gun control), and preference indicated for such discussions to occur with fellow firearm owners or Veterans, as opposed to clinicians. Thus, the purpose of the proposed Career Development Award-1 (CDA-1) is to adapt and expand an existing LMC intervention for peer- delivery among firearm owning Veterans. Adaptation will involve convening a panel of Veteran and non- Veteran experts who will provide input on aspects of the intervention and interventionist training that may require adaptation. Veteran interventionists and Veteran participants will be recruited through the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System (SLVHCS), the broader community, and an existing network of contacts established by the Veteran Informed Safety Intervention and Outreach Network (VISION) – a group of community and Veteran stakeholders promoting Veteran suicide prevention. Veteran interventionists will be trained in conducting the adapted intervention and it will be piloted with at least15 firearm owning Veterans. This intervention will then be evaluated for initial feasibility and acceptability through use of self-report questionnaires and qualitative interviews. Throughout the CDA-1 period, I hope to develop skills in Veteran- engaged research and qualitative methodology, which will bolster my development as a suicide prevention researcher. I will work closely with my primary mentor, who has extensive expertise in these research approaches, and will complete formal didactic coursework and cyber-seminars on these topics. I also hope to sharpen skills related to randomized controlled trial (RCT) design and analysis through traditional university coursework, structured consultation, and mentorship. The proposed study will provide vital experience implementing these approaches with Veterans. Data from the proposed study will be used to support a Career Development Award-2 (CDA-2) application, which would involve a RCT investigating the efficacy of peer- delivered LMC among Veterans. Thus, this award would provide extraordinary preparation for my long-term career goal to become an independent clinical scientist in the Department of Veterans Affairs.

退伍军人的自杀率明显高于普通人群，自杀率超过2%