Trial results for a decision-making tool aimed at safe firearm storage for individuals with depression and mild dementia were posted on 2026-04-28. This pilot study was terminated after enrolling only 5 participants.
Background
Safe firearm storage is a critical public health concern, particularly for individuals living with conditions such as depression and mild dementia. These conditions can impact judgment and increase risks associated with firearm access. Decision aids designed to promote safer storage practices are important tools in mitigating potential harm and supporting informed choices among affected individuals and their caregivers.
Trial design
This terminated pilot study, designated as Phase NA, enrolled 5 participants to test the feasibility and acceptability of a decision aid about safe firearm storage. The study included participants with Dementia, Mild and Depression. It was designed as a one-arm study, focusing on the intervention itself without a comparator arm.
Key results
Key measurements from the pilot study included:
- Number of Participants With Any Improvement in Safe Firearm Storage (Adapted From the National Firearm Survey): 1 Participants in the Intervention Arm.
- Change From Baseline in the Low-Literacy Decisional Conflict Scale Score: The Intervention Arm showed a mean change of 5 (Standard Deviation 1.41) score on a scale.
- Change From Baseline in Firearm Safe Storage Knowledge Questionnaire Score: The Intervention Arm showed a mean change of -0.5 (Standard Deviation 0.7071) score on a scale.
- Number of Participants Who Access the Intervention: 3 Participants in the Intervention Arm.
- Mean Score on the Acceptability of Intervention Measure: The Intervention Arm had a mean score of 3.83 (Standard Deviation 1.26) score on a scale.
What this means
The results from this terminated pilot study offer initial insights into a decision aid for safe firearm storage among individuals with depression and mild dementia, despite its small enrollment of 5 participants. While 1 participant showed improvement in safe firearm storage and the decisional conflict score improved by a mean of 5, the mean knowledge score decreased by -0.5. The intervention was accessed by 3 participants, and its acceptability was rated with a mean score of 3.83. The termination and limited participant numbers mean these findings are preliminary and highlight the challenges in conducting such studies, rather than providing definitive conclusions on the tool's efficacy.
Source
The information regarding these trial results was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a public database of clinical studies. The results for study NCT06382194, titled "Decision Making Tool for Firearm Storage", were posted on 2026-04-28 on clinicaltrials.gov.