Adolescent Behavior, Psychology, Social
Conditions
Keywords
adolescent, gun, violence, media
Brief summary
More American children die by accidental gun use than children in other developed countries. One factor that can influence children's interest in guns is exposure to media containing guns. The objective of this study is to test whether children who see a movie containing guns will handle a real gun longer and will pull the trigger more times than children who see the same movie without guns.
Detailed description
A recent analysis of top selling films found that the depiction of guns in violent scenes in PG-13 films that target youth has increased from the level of G and PG files in 1985 when the rating was introduced, to the level of R films by 2005, to exceed the level of R films since 2012. By definition, a PG-13 movie is supposed to have less violence than an R-rated movie. The Motion Picture Association of America says on its website that the violence in a PG-13 movie does not reach the restricted R category. Our study shows that it does. By including guns in violent scenes, film producers may be inadvertently increasing aggression in youth via a weapons effect. This experiment directly tests this hypothesis.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALMovies with Guns
Participants in this arm viewed movies (National Treasure, The Rocketeer) without guns. The movies, rated PG, were edited to remove guns from the scenes
Sponsors
Ohio State University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Masking description
Participants did not know which condition they were in. Participants' parents were aware of the deception (hidden gun) and what condition their children were in (with or without guns). Research personnel knew conditions as well. Research assistants who transcribed recorded laboratory sessions did not know what condition they were coding (eg. what type of movie participants watched)
Intervention model description
Participants are randomly assigned to watch a movie containing guns, or a movie not containing guns.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
8 Years to 12 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Age 8-12yrs, had not participated in study prior, was able to schedule participation with a known peer (8-12yo).
Exclusion criteria
Younger than 8yo, older than 12yo, had participated in study prior, could not schedule participation with a known peer (8-12yo)
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger Pulls | 20 minutes after intervention | The adjusted median of the number of trigger pulls per child. These data refer to the reduced Generalized Estimating Equation model for the two conditions. This model included participant gender and condition, bu not any of the other control variables. |
| Seconds Holding Gun | 20 minutes after intervention | Number of seconds participant held gun |
Participant flow
Participants by arm
| Arm | Count |
|---|---|
| Experimental Condition Participants in this condition viewed a movie without guns. The movie (National Treasure or The Rocketeer) was edited to remove guns from scenes.
Movies without Guns: Participants in this arm viewed movies (National Treasure, The Rocketeer) without guns. The movies, rated PG, were edited to remove guns from the scenes | 54 |
| Control Condition Participants in this condition viewed a movie with guns, as it was filmed and distributed. The actual scenes in the movie (National Treasure or The Rocketeer) was not edited, but the same scenes were used as the Experimental Condition | 50 |
| Total | 104 |
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | Total | Experimental Condition | Control Condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, Categorical <=18 years | 104 Participants | 54 Participants | 50 Participants |
| Age, Categorical >=65 years | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Age, Categorical Between 18 and 65 years | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Age, Continuous | 9.9 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 1.5 | 9.7 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 1.5 | 10.14 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 1.5 |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Hispanic or Latino | 3 Participants | 1 Participants | 2 Participants |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Not Hispanic or Latino | 101 Participants | 53 Participants | 48 Participants |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Unknown or Not Reported | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) American Indian or Alaska Native | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Asian | 2 Participants | 2 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Black or African American | 31 Participants | 14 Participants | 17 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) More than one race | 9 Participants | 5 Participants | 4 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Unknown or Not Reported | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) White | 62 Participants | 33 Participants | 29 Participants |
| Region of Enrollment United States | 104 Participants | 54 Participants | 50 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Female | 42 Participants | 16 Participants | 26 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Male | 62 Participants | 38 Participants | 24 Participants |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk | EG001 affected / at risk |
|---|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | — / — | — / — |
| other Total, other adverse events | 0 / 54 | 0 / 50 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 0 / 54 | 0 / 50 |
Outcome results
Primary
Seconds Holding Gun
Number of seconds participant held gun
Time frame: 20 minutes after intervention
| Arm | Measure | Value (MEAN) |
|---|---|---|
| Experimental Condition | Seconds Holding Gun | 53.1 seconds |
| Control | Seconds Holding Gun | 11.1 seconds |
Primary
Trigger Pulls
The adjusted median of the number of trigger pulls per child. These data refer to the reduced Generalized Estimating Equation model for the two conditions. This model included participant gender and condition, bu not any of the other control variables.
Time frame: 20 minutes after intervention
| Arm | Measure | Value (MEDIAN) |
|---|---|---|
| Experimental Condition | Trigger Pulls | 2.8 Number of trigger pulls |
| Control | Trigger Pulls | 0.01 Number of trigger pulls |