In the US, firearms are the most common method of suicide. Veterans bear a disproportionate share of this burden, representing over 69.4% of firearm mediated suicides. Suicide precipitates devastating impacts on service members and veterans' families and communities, in addition to reducing productivity and burdening the economy. The trauma of firearm mediated violence extends beyond decedents, with a majority of individuals who attempt suicide likely to survive with debilitating injuries, physical disabilities, and chronic mental health problems. Given that veterans are more likely than civilians to own firearms, carry them in public, and use them regularly, there is an unmet need to elucidate the relationship between firearm use and suicide, to identify veterans in need of suicide prevention strategies. Based on preliminary evidence linking gender, geography, personality traits, mental health, lifestyle, age, and other socio-demographic factors to firearm accessibility, we hypothesize that factors beyond firearm accessibility, storage and ownership influence firearm mediated suicide. Our objective is to improve the understanding of motivations for service members and veterans owning firearms, storing them in unsafe conditions and using them to hurt others or themselves. The study will comprise secondary analysis of data sets obtained from the Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers ? Longitudinal Study (STARRS-LS), a longitudinal study of over 14,000 soldiers between 2015-2020.
The specific aims of the study are to: 1) Identify factors firearms behavioral practices (e.g., firearm ownership, storage practices and firearms carrying practices) that may predict suicide deaths; 2) Establish if there is a relationship between geographic location and suicide, by examining military suicide rates by state and strength of gun laws within a state; 3) Identify the principal reasons for keeping a gun, and the degree to which identified reasons mediate suicide risk; and 4) Establish if there is a relationship between storage practices and personality characteristics (i.e. impulsivity, paranoia, aggression, etc.) or other mental health issues. A concentration of risk approach is expected to reveal interactions between firearm ownership, use and storage practices, and sociodemographic, cultural and geographical factors that influence firearm mediated suicide risk in veterans. The broader impact of this study is anticipated to be the development of a comprehensive understanding of risks contributing to firearm mediated suicide, thus improving risk identification capabilities. This study is proposed under `Objective One: Research to help inform the development of innovative and promising opportunities to enhance safety and prevent firearm-related injuries, deaths, and crime,' funded through Funding Option A.
The objective of the proposal is to improve the understanding of motivations for service members and veterans owning firearms, storing them in unsafe conditions and using them to hurt others or themselves. In the short term, this research will elucidate the relationship between firearm use and suicide to identify veterans in need of suicide prevention strategies. The broader impact of this study is the development of a comprehensive understanding of risks contributing to firearm mediated suicide, thus improving risk identification capabilities in the military and civilian population.
