ViolenceNCT04813185
Preventing Retaliatory Gun Violence in Violently Injured Adults
A study testing Bridging the Gap in people with Violence, run by Virginia Commonwealth University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The purpose of this research study is to find out if a hospital-based violence intervention (Bridging the Gap) is effective for reducing violence. The researchers think that adults who receive Bridging the Gap will see greater improvements than those who do not receive the intervention. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Violence
- What is being tested?
- Bridging the Gap
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 616 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 27 Jul 2021to Dec 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- They receive treatment in the hospital for a violence-related injury (e.g., gunshot wound)
- They are 18 years or older
- They are English speaking
- They are eligible for BTG services (which includes living within the BTG catchment area for the hospital; Richmond City and neighboring counties)
Who cannot join
- Non-English speaking
- Age <18
- Prisoners
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, Virginia, 23298
Nicholas Thomson, PhD
About this study
Official title: Preventing Retaliatory Gun Violence in Violently Injured Adults: A RCT of a Hospital-Based Intervention
The purpose of this research study is to find out if a hospital-based violence intervention (Bridging the Gap) is effective for reducing violence. The researchers think that adults who receive Bridging the Gap will see greater improvements than those who do not receive the intervention. This study will allow them to learn more about the intervention's effectiveness. The study will also help them understand if the violence intervention affects other behaviors, such as firearm use, drug use, aggression, risky behaviors, and rates of violent re-injury.
Read the detailed description
Approximately 616 patients will enroll in this study. Participants will be asked to complete sessions about behavior, personality, and experiences. Participants will be randomized into a study group (either Bridging the Gap or Treatment as Usual) by drawing a number. If patients agree to the study but do not like the group they are assigned to, they can request to switch groups. Participants assigned to the Treatment as Usual intervention will receive a brief violence awareness brochure during your hospital stay. Participants assigned to the Bridging the Gap intervention will receive an in-hospital intervention and, once released from the hospital, will receive 6-months of community case management services. The study team thinks that adults who receive the Bridging the Gap intervention will see greater improvements than adults who do not receive the intervention. This study will allow them to learn more about the intervention's effectiveness.
During these study sessions participants will complete questionnaires about exposure to traumatic events, symptoms of trauma, history of suicide, aggression and violence, antisocial personality traits, illegal behaviors, substance use, and mental health. Participants will complete several tasks which measure cognitive ability, such as problem-solving, attention/concentration, and decision-making. They will also complete a clinical interview that covers antisocial personality traits and behaviors, including history of aggressive behavior and substance use. These interviews will be video recorded. These recordings will be used to help score the interviews and for training purposes. Information will also be collected from participant's medical records, including demographic information, history and reason for past hospitalizations, mental health history, and substance use reports, as well as a criminal background check.
The surveys take about 2 hours to complete. Participants will complete these questionnaires again 6 and 12 months later. Participation in this study will last up to 12 months.
- Conditions
- Violence
- Being tested
- Bridging the Gap
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Bridging the GapBehavioural
Bridging the Gap Bridging the Gap is a hybrid model for violence prevention which integrates a hospital-based brief violence intervention (BVI) delivered to the patient while in hospital with a wrap-around community case management prevention strategy.
Firearm Counseling Program The firearm counseling program was developed to be administered in the hospital alongside the 6-step intervention program, as well as in the patient's home after hospital discharge. The firearm safety counseling program includes 3 components aimed at understanding patient risk, reducing firearm-related violence risk-factors, and helping patients increase firearm safety practices.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Treatment as usual | No intervention | Adults who will not receive BTG services and will receive treatment as usual (TAU) in the hospital. |
| In-hospital intervention | Experimental | Adults randomized to Bridging the Gap (BTG) services will receive a hospital-based violence prevention program with 6-months of community case management and a firearm counseling program. Receives: Behavioral: Bridging the Gap |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Firearm-related violence
Number of firearm-related violence incidents will be measured multiple ways including self-report and a semi-structured clinical assessment of non-convicted firearm-related violence. Incidents will be summed to yield a single count of unique firearm-related violence incidents for each participant.
Measured: 12-months
Firearm-related re-injury
Number of firearm-related re-injury incidents will be measured multiple ways including self-report and hospital records. Incidents will be summed to yield a single count of unique firearm-related re-injuries for each participant.
Measured: 12-months
Firearm-related mortality
Collected from hospital records and National Death Index
Measured: 12-months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted24 Mar 2021
- Study start27 Jul 2021
- Primary completionDec 2026 (estimated)
- Study completionDec 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for ViolenceStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Virginia Commonwealth UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 616 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Virginia Commonwealth University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Nicholas Thomson, Principal investigator, Virginia Commonwealth University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04813185
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- HM20020621
- Other IDs
- R01CE003296
- Status last verified
- Feb 2026
- First submitted
- 16 Mar 2021
- Last updated
- 4 Feb 2026
- Results posted
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 4 Feb 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Preventing Retaliatory Gun Violence in Violently Injured Adults: A RCT of a Hospital-Based Intervention
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04813185
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- HM20020621
- Conditions
- Violence
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 616 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Virginia Commonwealth UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Study start
- 27 Jul 2021 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Dec 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Dec 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 24 Mar 2021 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The purpose of this research study is to find out if a hospital-based violence intervention (Bridging the Gap) is effective for reducing violence. The researchers think that adults who receive Bridging the Gap will see greater improvements than those who do not receive the intervention. This study will allow them to learn more about the intervention's effectiveness. The study will also help them understand if the violence intervention affects other behaviors, such as firearm use, drug use, aggression, risky behaviors, and rates of violent re-injury.
Detailed description
Approximately 616 patients will enroll in this study. Participants will be asked to complete sessions about behavior, personality, and experiences. Participants will be randomized into a study group (either Bridging the Gap or Treatment as Usual) by drawing a number. If patients agree to the study but do not like the group they are assigned to, they can request to switch groups. Participants assigned to the Treatment as Usual intervention will receive a brief violence awareness brochure during your hospital stay. Participants assigned to the Bridging the Gap intervention will receive an in-hospital intervention and, once released from the hospital, will receive 6-months of community case management services. The study team thinks that adults who receive the Bridging the Gap intervention will see greater improvements than adults who do not receive the intervention. This study will allow them to learn more about the intervention's effectiveness.
During these study sessions participants will complete questionnaires about exposure to traumatic events, symptoms of trauma, history of suicide, aggression and violence, antisocial personality traits, illegal behaviors, substance use, and mental health. Participants will complete several tasks which measure cognitive ability, such as problem-solving, attention/concentration, and decision-making. They will also complete a clinical interview that covers antisocial personality traits and behaviors, including history of aggressive behavior and substance use. These interviews will be video recorded. These recordings will be used to help score the interviews and for training purposes. Information will also be collected from participant's medical records, including demographic information, history and reason for past hospitalizations, mental health history, and substance use reports, as well as a criminal background check.
The surveys take about 2 hours to complete. Participants will complete these questionnaires again 6 and 12 months later. Participation in this study will last up to 12 months.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Treatment as usual | No intervention | –Adults who will not receive BTG services and will receive treatment as usual (TAU) in the hospital. |
| In-hospital intervention | Experimental | Behavioral: Bridging the GapAdults randomized to Bridging the Gap (BTG) services will receive a hospital-based violence prevention program with 6-months of community case management and a firearm counseling program. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- They receive treatment in the hospital for a violence-related injury (e.g., gunshot wound)
- They are 18 years or older
- They are English speaking
- They are eligible for BTG services (which includes living within the BTG catchment area for the hospital; Richmond City and neighboring counties)
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Non-English speaking
- Age <18
- Prisoners
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Bridging the GapBridging the Gap Bridging the Gap is a hybrid model for violence prevention which integrates a hospital-based brief violence intervention (BVI) delivered to the patient while in hospital with a wrap-around community case management prevention strategy. Firearm Counseling Program The firearm counseling program was developed to be administered in the hospital alongside the 6-step intervention program, as well as in the patient's home after hospital discharge. The firearm safety counseling program includes 3 components aimed at understanding patient risk, reducing firearm-related violence risk-factors, and helping patients increase firearm safety practices. | Behavioural | In-hospital intervention |
Primary outcome
Firearm-related violence
Time frame: 12-months
Number of firearm-related violence incidents will be measured multiple ways including self-report and a semi-structured clinical assessment of non-convicted firearm-related violence. Incidents will be summed to yield a single count of unique firearm-related violence incidents for each participant.
Firearm-related re-injury
Time frame: 12-months
Number of firearm-related re-injury incidents will be measured multiple ways including self-report and hospital records. Incidents will be summed to yield a single count of unique firearm-related re-injuries for each participant.
Firearm-related mortality
Time frame: 12-months
Collected from hospital records and National Death Index
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 4 Feb 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Nicholas Thomson principal investigator
Virginia Commonwealth University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Bridging the Gap in people with Violence, run by Virginia Commonwealth University at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 4 Feb 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Nicholas Thomson (804-628-5541, Nicholas.Thomson@vcuhealth.org), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Firearm-related violence (time frame: 12-months). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 4 Feb 2026.