Developing a Dyadic Shared Decision Making Tool About Firearm Storage

Given that firearm ownership is legal, common, and valued by many people in the U.S, safe storage is important to minimize the risk of unauthorized access, injury and death. Safe storage is particularly important in households with children, as they are at elevated risk of death by unintentional injury or suicide if a gun is accessible in the home. However, only 1/3 of firearm-owning parents with children in the home report consistently safe storage. Decisions about firearm storage are complex, with perceived costs and benefits of different storage options varying by individual factors (i.e., primary reasons for firearm ownership, types of firearms), family factors (i.e., age and mental and physical health of household members), and community factors (i.e., crime and norms). Storage decisions affect all household members, and prior research finds that firearm owners who discuss storage with other family members have the safest storage practices. However, a recent survey study of firearm-owning US parents of school-aged youth (n=749) found that in only 55% of parenting dyads are both parties highly involved in the decision about how firearms are stored. In this sample, investigators observed that safe storage was more likely when both members of a parenting dyad were highly involved in the storage decision (regardless of their gender and whether one or both own firearms). However, at present firearm storage interventions are directed at individuals rather than family systems. Given the prevalence of pediatric firearm injuries and the role of within-family processes in storage safety, there is a critical need to develop a feasible, self-directed, family-centered firearm safety intervention.

The objective of the proposed short-term project is to develop and obtain preliminary data about acceptability and feasibility of a prototype of a brief decision aid for parenting dyads. The conceptual framework for the decision aid is the Ottawa Decision Support Framework, and then investigators will adapt the Ottawa Person Decision Guide for Two to this issue and for self-facilitation outside of the clinical setting.