Citation

Siegel M, Rothman EF. Am. J. Public Health 2016; 106(7): 1316-1322.

Affiliation

All of the authors are with the Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, American Public Health Association)

DOI

10.2105/AJPH.2016.303182

PMID

27196643

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To examine the relationship between state-level firearm ownership rates and gender-specific, age-adjusted firearm and total suicide rates across all 50 US states from 1981 to 2013.

METHODS: We used panel data for all 50 states that included annual overall and gender-specific suicide and firearm suicide rates and a proxy for state-level household firearm ownership. We analyzed data by using linear regression and generalized estimating equations to account for clustering.

RESULTS: State-level firearm ownership was associated with an increase in both male and female firearm-related suicide rates and with a decrease in nonfirearm-related suicide rates. Higher gun ownership was associated with higher suicide rates by any means among male, but not among female, persons.

CONCLUSIONS: We found a strong relationship between state-level firearm ownership and firearm suicide rates among both genders, and a relationship between firearm ownership and suicides by any means among male, but not female, individuals. POLICY IMPLICATIONS: For male persons, policies that reduce firearm ownership will likely reduce suicides by all means and by firearms. For female persons, such policies will likely reduce suicides by firearms. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print May 19, 2016: e1-e7. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2016.303182).

Language: en