Lethal Means SafetyWAVNCT07756697
Leveraging Video Vignettes and Social Media to Promote Safe Firearm Storage Among Veterans
A study testing WAV videos, VA News videos and VA LMS brochure in people with Lethal Means Safety, run by VA Office of Research and Development at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Family and friends are trusted by Veterans, and can play a vital role in supporting Veteran suicide prevention. Veterans are more likely to adopt secure firearm storage if their loved ones discuss firearm safety with them and if they are exposed to compelling personal stories. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Lethal Means Safety
- What is being tested?
- WAV videos, VA News videos and VA LMS brochure
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 654 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 1 Jul 2027to 25 Feb 2029
- 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
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Living in U.S.
- Family member, caregiver, or friend of a Veteran
- Social contact at least once a week with a Veteran who possesses a household firearm, and
- Access to a household firearm
Who cannot join
- Not providing a valid phone number and email address
- No internet access
- Indication of duplicate study entry
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
VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR
Portland, Oregon, 97207-2964
Keeley R Blackie, (503) 220-8262 ext. 55645, Keeley.Blackie@va.gov
Aaron A Call, (503) 220-8262, Aaron.Call@va.gov
About this study
Family and friends are trusted by Veterans, and can play a vital role in supporting Veteran suicide prevention. Veterans are more likely to adopt secure firearm storage if their loved ones discuss firearm safety with them and if they are exposed to compelling personal stories. "Worried About a Veteran" (WAV) is an online resource that contains 13 powerful, video-based vignettes designed to empower loved ones to initiate life-saving conversations about safeguarding firearms in the homes of Veterans at risk for suicide. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of WAV in encouraging loved ones to discuss safe firearm storage with Veterans.
Read the detailed description
Significance to VA: Firearms are involved in 71% of Veteran suicides. Lethal means safety (LMS)-the intentional practice of limiting access to lethal means, such as firearms, to reduce suicide risk-is key to Veteran suicide prevention. Veterans are more likely to adopt secure firearm storage if their loved ones discuss firearm safety with them and if they are exposed to compelling personal stories. Worried About a Veteran (WAV) is a novel, acceptable intervention that includes 13 compelling, Veteran-centered video vignettes about secure firearm storage told from the perspective of Veterans' loved ones. WAV has not undergone formal evaluation and awareness of WAV has been limited. VA Office of Suicide Prevention has called for strategies to support and amplify messaging on LMS.
Innovation and Impact: LMS approaches that leverage loved ones are lacking, which makes WAV unique. Knowledge generated about loved ones' firearms discussions and behaviors further enhances project impact.
Specific Aim: Evaluate the impact of WAV videos on behavioral outcomes related to safe storage of household firearms. Hypotheses are: 1) Exposure to WAV videos will be associated with talking with Veterans about safe firearm storage by end of trial, compared to the active or inactive control; and 2) Exposure to WAV videos will be associated with safe firearm storage practices by end of trial, compared to the active or inactive control.
Methodology: Using a social media campaign, loved ones of Veterans with household firearms will be recruited, randomized to multiple exposures to WAV videos, VA News videos (inactive control), or an electronic copy of a VA LMS brochure (active control), and changes will be evaluated over 8 weeks in discussing safe firearm storage with Veterans (primary outcome). Secondary outcomes will include firearm storage practices, knowledge, intentions, and attitudes.
Path to Translation/Implementation: WAV videos are freely accessible online, making the intervention ideal for large-scale implementation. Next steps may include using the intervention in suicide prevention campaign efforts led by the Office of Suicide Prevention and facilitating use by community-based military and Veteran organizations that have expressed interest in WAV. Project methods can also be applied to other Veteran health issues.
- Conditions
- Lethal Means Safety
- Being tested
- WAV videos, VA News videos, VA LMS brochure
- Keywords
- Firearms, Suicide Prevention, Lethal means safety, Veterans
- Medical subject headings
- Suicide Prevention
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
WAV videosBehavioural
13 "Worried About a Veteran" video vignettes. The videos are brief (< 3 minutes), professionally developed, and involve vignettes of Veterans' family members that teach warning signs of suicidal crisis, practical guidance for LMS, and how to collaboratively discuss lethal means and secure storage.
VA News videosBehavioural
VA News videos range in topic, such as VA benefits, research highlights, and Veteran interest stories (e.g., Veteran hockey league). Videos will be current at the time of study launch and unrelated to firearms and suicide prevention.
VA LMS brochureBehavioural
2-page VA educational brochure on lethal means safety (LMS). The brochure is titled "Reducing Firearm and Other Household Safety Risks for Veterans and Their Families," and it provides information on the importance of reducing access to lethal means such as firearms and medications for individuals at risk of suicide.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention | Experimental | WAV videos Receives: Behavioral: WAV videos |
| Inactive control | Sham comparator | VA News videos Receives: Behavioral: VA News videos |
| Active control | Active comparator | VA educational brochure on lethal means safety Receives: Behavioral: VA LMS brochure |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Discussions of safe firearm storage
Yes/No question about whether they recently discussed safe firearm storage with a Veteran. Answering "Yes" indicates a better outcome. If they answer in the affirmative, they will be asked follow-up questions to gauge frequency, mode (e.g., by phone, text, in-person), length, number of Veterans, and outcome of the conversation(s) (i.e., behavior change). Higher frequency and longer length of conversations, larger number of Veterans spoken to, and behavior change indicate successful discussions of safe firearm storage.
Measured: 8 week follow-up
Secondary outcomes (6)
Firearm storage practices
Series of Yes/No/Not sure questions about the participants' personal firearms storage practices and practices in the Veteran. First, it will be determined if there is any access in or around the home (e.g., "kept in a garage, outdoor storage area, or motor vehicle") and the number of firearms. For individuals with access to firearms, subsequent questions will assess whether all firearms are stored safely: a) locked (defined as needing a "key or a combination or a hand/fingerprint to get the gun or to fire it"), b) loaded, and/or c) stored separately from ammunition. Safe firearm storage practices (locked, unloaded, and stored separately from ammunition) indicate a better outcome.
Measured: 8 week follow-up
Knowledge of firearm injury/suicide
Five-item series of True/False questions on risks associated with access to lethal means, including unsecured firearms, and awareness of firearm injury and firearm suicide. Responses are totaled across all five items, ranging from 0 to 5, with a correct response receiving a score of "1." Higher scores indicate greater knowledge of lethal means safety and secure firearm storage.
Measured: 8 week follow-up
Attitudes
Eight-item scale of attitudes toward discussing safe firearm storage adapted from the Perceptions about Services Scale (PASS). Responses are rated on a 7-point Likert-type scale. A mean score (range 1 to 7) is calculated across all items, with higher scores indicating a better attitude towards suicide prevention and safe firearm storage discussions.
Measured: 8 week follow-up
Norms
Four-item scale of descriptive (i.e., what others think/do) and injunctive (i.e., what close others want me to think/do) norms related to discussing safe firearm storage adapted from the Perceptions about Services Scale (PASS). Responses are rated on a 7-point Likert-type scale. A mean score (range 1 to 7) is calculated across all items, with higher scores indicating stronger perceived norms supporting discussions about safe firearm storage.
Measured: 8 week follow-up
Perceived behavioral control
Three-item scale of capability and confidence related to discussing safe firearm storage adapted from the Perceptions about Services Scale (PASS). Responses are rated on a 7-point Likert-type scale. A mean score (range 1 to 7) is calculated across all items, with higher scores indicating greater capability and confidence related to safe firearm storage discussions.
Measured: 8 week follow-up
Behavioral intentions
Three-item scale of intentions to discuss safe firearm storage with Veterans in the next month adapted from the Perceptions about Services Scale (PASS). Responses are rated on a 7-point Likert-type scale. A mean score (range 1 to 7) is calculated across all items, with higher scores indicating stronger intentions to discuss safe firearm storage.
Measured: 8 week follow-up
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted11 Aug 2026
- Study start1 Jul 2027 (estimated)
- Primary completion25 Feb 2029 (estimated)
- Study completion25 Feb 2029 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Lethal Means SafetyStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by VA Office of Research and DevelopmentThe 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
- Model description
- The investigators will randomly assign participants in a 1:1:1 allocation to intervention or one of the two control conditions using a block-randomization scheme without stratification. To maintain allocation concealment, the investigators will use random block sizes. The block-randomization schemes will be created using the R package, blockrand. Randomization will occur after baseline survey and assessments are completed, as our prior work with participants recruited via social has found this helpful to maintain balance in study arms. Following recommendations for blinding in behavioral interventions, the investigators will not provide information about study hypotheses to participants, and the study biostatistician will be blinded.
- Masking
- Triple blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 654 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- VA Office of Research and Development
- Sponsor type
- US federal agency
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Alan R. Teo, MD MS, Principal investigator, VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07756697
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- HSR4-033-25M
- Other IDs
- RD000496
- Acronym
- WAV
- Status last verified
- Aug 2026
- First submitted
- 6 Aug 2026
- Last updated
- 13 Aug 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- 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 13 Aug 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Leveraging Video Vignettes and Social Media to Promote Safe Firearm Storage Among Veterans
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07756697
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- WAV / HSR4-033-25M
- Conditions
- Lethal Means Safety
- Keywords
- Firearms, Suicide Prevention, Lethal means safety, Veterans
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 654 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- VA Office of Research and DevelopmentUS federal agency
- Study start
- 1 Jul 2027 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 25 Feb 2029 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 25 Feb 2029 (estimated)
- First posted
- 11 Aug 2026 (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.
Family and friends are trusted by Veterans, and can play a vital role in supporting Veteran suicide prevention. Veterans are more likely to adopt secure firearm storage if their loved ones discuss firearm safety with them and if they are exposed to compelling personal stories. "Worried About a Veteran" (WAV) is an online resource that contains 13 powerful, video-based vignettes designed to empower loved ones to initiate life-saving conversations about safeguarding firearms in the homes of Veterans at risk for suicide. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of WAV in encouraging loved ones to discuss safe firearm storage with Veterans.
Detailed description
Significance to VA: Firearms are involved in 71% of Veteran suicides. Lethal means safety (LMS)-the intentional practice of limiting access to lethal means, such as firearms, to reduce suicide risk-is key to Veteran suicide prevention. Veterans are more likely to adopt secure firearm storage if their loved ones discuss firearm safety with them and if they are exposed to compelling personal stories. Worried About a Veteran (WAV) is a novel, acceptable intervention that includes 13 compelling, Veteran-centered video vignettes about secure firearm storage told from the perspective of Veterans' loved ones. WAV has not undergone formal evaluation and awareness of WAV has been limited. VA Office of Suicide Prevention has called for strategies to support and amplify messaging on LMS.
Innovation and Impact: LMS approaches that leverage loved ones are lacking, which makes WAV unique. Knowledge generated about loved ones' firearms discussions and behaviors further enhances project impact.
Specific Aim: Evaluate the impact of WAV videos on behavioral outcomes related to safe storage of household firearms. Hypotheses are: 1) Exposure to WAV videos will be associated with talking with Veterans about safe firearm storage by end of trial, compared to the active or inactive control; and 2) Exposure to WAV videos will be associated with safe firearm storage practices by end of trial, compared to the active or inactive control.
Methodology: Using a social media campaign, loved ones of Veterans with household firearms will be recruited, randomized to multiple exposures to WAV videos, VA News videos (inactive control), or an electronic copy of a VA LMS brochure (active control), and changes will be evaluated over 8 weeks in discussing safe firearm storage with Veterans (primary outcome). Secondary outcomes will include firearm storage practices, knowledge, intentions, and attitudes.
Path to Translation/Implementation: WAV videos are freely accessible online, making the intervention ideal for large-scale implementation. Next steps may include using the intervention in suicide prevention campaign efforts led by the Office of Suicide Prevention and facilitating use by community-based military and Veteran organizations that have expressed interest in WAV. Project methods can also be applied to other Veteran health issues.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Triple blind (participant, investigator, outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 3
- Model description
- The investigators will randomly assign participants in a 1:1:1 allocation to intervention or one of the two control conditions using a block-randomization scheme without stratification. To maintain allocation concealment, the investigators will use random block sizes. The block-randomization schemes will be created using the R package, blockrand. Randomization will occur after baseline survey and assessments are completed, as our prior work with participants recruited via social has found this helpful to maintain balance in study arms. Following recommendations for blinding in behavioral interventions, the investigators will not provide information about study hypotheses to participants, and the study biostatistician will be blinded.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention | Experimental | Behavioral: WAV videosWAV videos |
| Inactive control | Sham comparator | Behavioral: VA News videosVA News videos |
| Active control | Active comparator | Behavioral: VA LMS brochureVA educational brochure on lethal means safety |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Living in U.S.
- Family member, caregiver, or friend of a Veteran
- Social contact at least once a week with a Veteran who possesses a household firearm, and
- Access to a household firearm
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Not providing a valid phone number and email address
- No internet access
- Indication of duplicate study entry
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 |
|---|---|---|
| WAV videos13 "Worried About a Veteran" video vignettes. The videos are brief (< 3 minutes), professionally developed, and involve vignettes of Veterans' family members that teach warning signs of suicidal crisis, practical guidance for LMS, and how to collaboratively discuss lethal means and secure storage. | Behavioural | Intervention |
| VA News videosVA News videos range in topic, such as VA benefits, research highlights, and Veteran interest stories (e.g., Veteran hockey league). Videos will be current at the time of study launch and unrelated to firearms and suicide prevention. | Behavioural | Inactive control |
| VA LMS brochure2-page VA educational brochure on lethal means safety (LMS). The brochure is titled "Reducing Firearm and Other Household Safety Risks for Veterans and Their Families," and it provides information on the importance of reducing access to lethal means such as firearms and medications for individuals at risk of suicide. | Behavioural | Active control |
Primary outcome
Discussions of safe firearm storage
Time frame: 8 week follow-up
Yes/No question about whether they recently discussed safe firearm storage with a Veteran. Answering "Yes" indicates a better outcome. If they answer in the affirmative, they will be asked follow-up questions to gauge frequency, mode (e.g., by phone, text, in-person), length, number of Veterans, and outcome of the conversation(s) (i.e., behavior change). Higher frequency and longer length of conversations, larger number of Veterans spoken to, and behavior change indicate successful discussions of safe firearm storage.
6 secondary outcomes
Firearm storage practices
Time frame: 8 week follow-up
Knowledge of firearm injury/suicide
Time frame: 8 week follow-up
Attitudes
Time frame: 8 week follow-up
Norms
Time frame: 8 week follow-up
Perceived behavioral control
Time frame: 8 week follow-up
Behavioral intentions
Time frame: 8 week follow-up
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 13 Aug 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.
Alan R. Teo, MD MS principal investigator
VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing WAV videos, VA News videos and VA LMS brochure in people with Lethal Means Safety, run by VA Office of Research and Development 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: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 13 Aug 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. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. 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 Keeley R Blackie ((503) 220-8262 ext. 55645, Keeley.Blackie@va.gov), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Discussions of safe firearm storage (time frame: 8 week follow-up). 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 13 Aug 2026.