Research finding · November 2023
Different subgroups of firearm owners vary in their risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors
Firearm owners are a large, diverse population with many subgroups that require unique considerations when devising suicide prevention efforts. At the time of this study, it was estimated that 22% of Americans owned at least one firearm, and one in three Americans lived in a household with a firearm. Lethal-means counseling can be an effective suicide prevention resource for firearm owners, but it has been found to be underutilized. There is a need for lethal means counseling to be adapted to different audiences to reach the many subgroups of firearm owners.
To learn more about risk in firearm owners and potential subgroups within this population, Drs. Alisa Lincoln and Craig Ross conducted a nationally representative survey of 2,646 firearm owners to assess individuals’ experience with suicidal ideation and behavior, presence of factors that contribute to suicide (e.g., mental health conditions, family history, head injury), and demographic characteristics. They found that almost one in 10 firearm owners were at increased risk for suicide with 25% reporting suicide ideation, 6.6% reporting suicide planning, and 1.8% reporting a previous suicide attempt. After analyzing demographic characteristics, Drs. Lincoln and Ross also identified three unique subgroups of firearm owners with higher-than-average suicide risk: affluent firearm owners with a history of adverse experiences and mental health challenges, male veterans with high levels of alcohol consumption, and non-heterosexual women who have experienced trauma. These findings provide valuable information for designing interventions tailored more specifically to each subgroup of firearm owners identified to be at risk for suicide.
Citation: Ross, C. S., Gradus, J. L., Siegel, M. B., Alcorn, T., Garverich, S., & Lincoln, A. (2022). Distinct groups of firearm owners with differential risk for suicide in the United States: A latent class analysis. Preventive Medicine, 107185, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2022.107185
This finding comes from an AFSP-funded study — see the grant below ↓
