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Abstract
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VioLit summary:
OBJECTIVE:
The intent of this article by the American Academy of Pediatrics was to identify the major issues surrounding adolescent firearm use.
METHODOLOGY:
The authors employed a non-experimental design by reviewing the literature on gun-related adolescent mortality rates and morbidity. Types of firearms involved were also identified, as were adolescent risk factors.
FINDINGS/DISCUSSION:
Firearms were involved in 70% of teen homicides and 63% of teen suicides; after motor vehicle accidents, firearms were the second leading cause of death among teenagers aged 15 to 19. Almost 3,200 teenagers aged 15 to 19 were fatally shot each year, with a 75% increase in teenage firearm deaths in the last 20 years. For each fatality the authors estimated 5 nonfatal injuries and since 1986 the number of gunshot wounds reported in children had increased 300%. Handguns accounted for the majority of firearm deaths and injuries in the United States, with hunting accidents accounting for less than 5% of the total; the majority of shootings were committed by friends or relatives rather than during illegal activity such as robberies. The authors identified three primary adolescent risk factors for firearm death and injury: 1) Accessibility of firearms: Approximately 200 million firearms were available in the United States, with half of all US homes containing at least one. 48% of all adolescent boys reported owning a gun, with an average age of acquisition at 12.5 years. 2) Powerful adolescent developmental issues: These included a desire for adult identity, belief in invincibility, a struggle for independence/autonomy, exploratory curiosity, peer group influence, immaturity, impulsiveness, a perceived need for protection and experimentation with drugs. 3) Difficulty with gun safety education: No published research confirmed the effectiveness of gun safety training for adolescents.
AUTHORS' RECOMMENDATIONS:
The authors encouraged a multifaceted approach to adolescent firearm use which included more restrictive legislative and regulatory measures, a health care focus on creating gun-safe homes, identification of children at risk and referral to appropriate services, the development of community-based coalitions to address the broader needs of public education, a curriculum in schools which provided violence prevention lessons and an increase in research on the precursors and correlates of firearm injuries and deaths among children and adolescents.
(CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado)
KW - Juvenile Firearms Use
KW - Juvenile Offender
KW - Juvenile Violence
KW - Literature Review
KW - Firearms Use Causes
KW - Firearms Violence
KW - Violence Causes
Language: en |