Neighborhood Firearm Violence, Psychosocial Risks, and Youth Firearm Perception

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Criminology
• Sociology

Background:

• Youth firearm access is linked to psychosocial issues, violence, and injuries.
• Perceived firearm availability in youth is a significant risk factor, even without firearms at home.
• Understanding factors influencing perceived firearm availability is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine youth and neighborhood factors associated with perceived firearm availability among adolescents.
• To differentiate between at-home firearm availability and perceived firearm availability.
• To identify risk factors for perceived firearm availability in youth.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional analysis of 23,334 emergency department visits by youth aged 14-18.
• Utilized Behavioral Health Screening data (2013-2024) on firearm availability and psychosocial risks.
• Linked patient data with neighborhood firearm violence and child opportunity index scores.

Main Results:

• Perceived firearm availability associated with minority status, fighting, substance use, bullying, intimate partner violence, low child opportunity, and high neighborhood violence.
• At-home firearm availability linked to White status, non-Medicaid insurance, mental health visits, higher child opportunity, and lower neighborhood violence.
• Among youth without home firearms, fighting and neighborhood violence predicted perceived availability; fighting mediated 32% of neighborhood violence's effect.

Conclusions:

• Youth fighting and neighborhood violence are key factors associated with perceived firearm availability.
• Findings highlight the link between violence exposure and perceptions of firearm accessibility.
• Emergency department screenings for perceived firearm availability can aid in preventing youth firearm carriage and future violence.