Role of Firearm Ownership on 2001–2016 Trends in U.S. Firearm Suicide Rates

Martínez-Alés, Gonzalo; Gimbrone, Catherine; Rutherford, Caroline; Kandula, Sasikiran; Olfson, Mark; Gould, Madelyn S.; Shaman, Jeffrey; Keyes, Katherine M.

doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2021.05.026

Cited by 10 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…Our study is similar to other studies that have reported on the steady rise of suicide in the United States [10,[16][17][18]. Studies have shown that the majority of completed suicides are firearm-related, accounting for one in two suicides in males and one in three among females [19][20][21][22][23]. Reducing the suicide rate, therefore, requires restriction of access to the most lethal means [24][25][26].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Trends in Suicides and Homicides in 21st Century America

Akinyemi,

Ogundare,

Wedeslase

et al. 2024

Cureus

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Background: Violent deaths, including suicides and homicides, pose a significant public health challenge in the United States. Understanding the trends and identifying associated risk factors is crucial for targeted intervention strategies.Aim: To examine the trends in suicides and homicides over the past two decades and identify demographic and contextual predictors using the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System online database.Methods: A retrospective analysis of mortality records from 2000 to 2020 was conducted, utilizing multivariate regression analyses. Covariates included age, race, sex, education, mental health conditions, and time period. Age-adjusted rates were employed to assess trends.Results: Over the 20 years, there was an upward trajectory in suicide rates, increasing from approximately 10/100,000 to over 14/100,000 individuals, which is a notable increase among American Indians (100.8% increase) and individuals aged 25 years and younger (45.3% increase). Homicide rates, while relatively stable, exhibited a significant increase in 2019-2020, with African Americans consistently having the highest rates and a significant increase among American Indians (73.2% increase). In the multivariate regression analysis, Individuals with advanced education (OR= 1.74, 95% CI= 1.70 -1.78), depression (OR = 13.47, 95% CI = 13.04 -13.91), and bipolar disorder (OR = 2.65, 95% CI = 2.44 -2.88) had higher odds of suicide. Risk factors for homicide include African Americans (OR = 4.15, 95% CI = 4.08 -4.23), Latinx (OR = 2.31, 95% CI = 2.26 -2.37), people aged 25 years and younger, and those with lower educational attainment.Conclusion: This study highlights the changing demographic pattern in suicides and homicides in the United States and the need for targeted public health responses. Means restriction, universal suicide screening, addressing mental health stigma, and implementing broad interventions that modify societal attitudes toward suicide and homicides are essential components of a comprehensive strategy.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Trends in Suicides and Homicides in 21st Century America

Akinyemi,

Ogundare,

Wedeslase

et al. 2024

Cureus

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“…Data from large surveys in the United States indicate that the firearm ownership rate remained roughly stable or slightly decreased between 1999 and 2018 ( 41 ), while firearm suicide increased across age groups, especially after 2007, in a pattern indicating a clear period effect. Moreover, recent studies indicate that ( a ) most of the increase in suicide among very recently born cohorts was driven mostly by nonfirearm means ( 75 ) and ( b ) firearm ownership rates were not associated with increases in firearm suicide among these specific birth cohorts ( 74 ). This evidence suggests that changes in firearm ownership did not play a major role in the most recent increases in suicide rates, including firearm suicide, and instead links these increases to less specific threats to health (e.g., the 2008 economic recession or the opioid overdose epidemic).…”

Section: Causes Of Trends In Suicidementioning

confidence: 99%

The Recent Rise of Suicide Mortality in the United States

Martínez-Alés

Jiang

Keyes

et al. 2022

Annu. Rev. Public Health

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Suicide is a major public health concern in the United States. Between 2000 and 2018, US suicide rates increased by 35%, contributing to the stagnation and subsequent decrease in US life expectancy. During 2019, suicide declined modestly, mostly owing to slight reductions in suicides among Whites. Suicide rates, however, continued to increase or remained stable among all other racial/ethnic groups, and little is known about recent suicide trends among other vulnerable groups. This article ( a) summarizes US suicide mortality trends over the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, ( b) reviews potential group-level causes of increased suicide risk among subpopulations characterized by markers of vulnerability to suicide, and ( c) advocates for combining recent advances in population-based suicide prevention with a socially conscious perspective that captures the social, economic, and political contexts in which suicide risk unfolds over the life course of vulnerable individuals. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Public Health, Volume 43 is April 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

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“…Multiple studies have shown that firearm ownership and availability are positively correlated with suicide mortality at the population level. 12,13,29 Less is known about how suicidal ideation, suicidal planning, and suicidal behavior co-occur within and among different subgroups, however. In this study, the overall probabilities of endorsing suicidal ideation, suicidal planning, and suicidal behavior were positively associated with one another, a pattern consistent with previous research.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Multiple studies have shown that firearm ownership and availability are positively correlated with suicide mortality at the population level . Less is known about how suicidal ideation, suicidal planning, and suicidal behavior co-occur within and among different subgroups, however.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessment of Latent Subgroups With Suicidal Ideation and Suicidal Behavior Among Gun Owners and Non–Gun Owners in the US

Bryan

Wastler

et al. 2022

JAMA Netw Open

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IMPORTANCEFirearm ownership is associated with increased risk for suicide. OBJECTIVE To examine patterns of associations among suicidal thoughts and behaviors among gun owners and non-gun owners in the US. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In this survey study, cross-sectional online survey data were collected from March to April 2020 from US adults recruited via Qualtrics Panels. Quota sampling was used to approximate US census demographics. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURESThe primary outcomes were past-year passive suicidal ideation, active suicidal ideation, suicidal planning, suicidal behaviors, and nonsuicidal self-injury as measured by items from the Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors Interview-Revised (SITBI-R).Simple latent class analysis (LCA) was used to assign participants to separate classes based on posterior probabilities, and multigroup LCA was used to assess whether the same construct was measured in specified groups. RESULTSOf 65 079 adults invited to participate, 10 625 (16.3%) completed the survey; 9153 responded "yes" or "no" to the firearm ownership item and were included in the analysis. Of these 9153 respondents (4695 [51.3%] male; mean [SD] age, 46.7 [16.8] years), 2773 (30.3%) reported owning a gun and 6380 (69.7%) reported not owning a gun. Compared with non-gun owners, gun owners were more likely to be male (1779 [64.2%] vs 2916 [45.7%]; χ 2 1 , 263.3; P < .001) and White (2090 [75.4%] vs 3945 [61.8%]; χ 2 5 , 232.9; P < .001) and to have served in the military (772 [27.8%] vs 609 [9.5%]; χ 2 1 , 571.4; P < .001).Five distinct patterns of SITBI-R item endorsement were extracted using simple LCA. Multigroup LCA indicated that the probability of SITBI-R item endorsement differed between gun owners and non-gun owners across subgroups. Among gun owners, the probability of past-month nonfatal suicide attempts was highest in class 4 (ranging from 16.8% for reaching out for help to 27.2% for starting, then changing one's mind). Gun owners in class 4 were characterized by high probabilities of endorsing thoughts about specific ways or methods to attempt suicide (100%) and preparatory behavior (100%). Among non-gun owners, the probability of nonfatal suicide attempts was highest in class 5 (ranging from 14.9% for reaching out for help to 29.7% for starting, then changing one's mind). Non-gun owners in class 5 were characterized by high probabilities of endorsing passive suicidal ideation (84.0%-100%), active suicidal ideation (86.7%-95.0%), and thoughts about specific ways or methods to attempt suicide (97.4%) and a specific place (92.1%) to attempt suicide. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCEIn this study, in subgroups with lower probabilities of suicide attempt, gun owners and non-gun owners showed similar patterns of suicide risk item endorsement, but when the probability of a suicide attempt increased, gun owners were less likely than non-gun (continued) Key Points Question Do survey item response patterns for suicidal ideation and behaviors differ between adult gun owners and non-gun owners in the US? ...

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Role of Firearm Ownership on 2001–2016 Trends in U.S. Firearm Suicide Rates

Cited by 10 publications

References 45 publications

Trends in Suicides and Homicides in 21st Century America

Trends in Suicides and Homicides in 21st Century America

The Recent Rise of Suicide Mortality in the United States

Assessment of Latent Subgroups With Suicidal Ideation and Suicidal Behavior Among Gun Owners and Non–Gun Owners in the US

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