Related Experiment Videos
Mental health and firearms in community-based surveys: implications for suicide prevention
Susan B Sorenson1, Katherine A Vittes
1Department of Social Policy, University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA.
Abstract:
Suicide rates are higher among those who own a handgun and among those who [corrected] live in a household with a hand gun. This article examines the association between [corrected] gun ownership and mental health, another risk factor for suicide. Data from the General Social Survey, a series of surveys of U.S. adults, are analyzed to compare general emotional and mental health, sadness and depression, functional mental health, and mental health help seeking among gun owners, persons who do not own but live in a household with a gun, and those who do not own a gun. After taking into account a few basic demographic characteristics associated with both variables, there appears to be no association between mental health and gun ownership. Nor is there any association between mental health and living in a household with a firearm. Findings suggest that the high risk of suicide among those who own or live in a household with a gun is not related to poor mental health. Implications for prevention are discussed.
Related Concept Videos
Community Based Intervention
Foundations of Community Mental Health Programs
Central to the success of community-based interventions is the...
Surveys
Stress and Mental Health
Individuals with depression often experience challenges in both their personal and professional...
Self-Help Support Groups
Accessibility and Cost-Effectiveness
One of the primary strengths of self-help...
Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia
Psychosurgery
Historical Development of Psychosurgery
In the 1930s, Portuguese neurologist Antonio Egas Moniz introduced a surgical procedure designed...