• Allison E Bond, Jayna Moceri-Brooks, Taylor R Rodriguez, Daniel Semenza, and Michael D Anestis.
• The New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center, Rutgers University, United States of America; Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, United States of America; Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice, Rutgers University - Camden, United States of America. Electronic address: ab2242@psych.rutgers.edu.
• Prev Med. 2023 Apr 1; 169: 107476107476.

AbstractHealthcare providers are well positioned to screen for firearm access to reduce risk of suicides, yet there is a limited understanding of how often and for whom firearm access screening occurs. The present study examined the extent to which providers screen for firearm access and sought to identify who has been screened in the past. The representative sample included 3510 residents from five US states who reported whether they have been asked about their access to firearms by a healthcare provider. The findings demonstrate that most participants have never been asked by a provider about firearm access. People who have been asked were more likely to be White, male, and firearm owners. Those with children under 17 years old in the home, that have been in mental health treatment, and report a history of suicidal ideation were more likely to be screened for firearm access. Although there are interventions for mitigating firearm related risks in healthcare settings, many providers may be missing the opportunity to implement these because they do not ask about firearm access.Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

12 keywords...

hide…