University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, USA.
Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2018 Dec;48(6):699-708. doi: 10.1111/sltb.12381. Epub 2017 Sep 4.
Firearms account for half of all U.S. suicide deaths, but research on mechanisms through which firearms confer risk is limited. Although research has indicated firearm ownership and the unsafe storage of firearms are associated with an elevated risk of suicide, such research cannot provide insight into the extent to which a history of using a gun plays a role. We recruited a community sample (N = 100; 76% female; 44% Black) oversampled for prior suicidal behavior in a high gun ownership state (Mississippi). Consistent with hypotheses, a greater number of lifetime experiences of firing a gun were associated with elements of the capability for suicide (fearlessness about death, pain tolerance, pain persistence) and lifetime suicide attempts, but not with suicide ideation or simple pain detection. These findings indicate that guns may confer risk of suicide in part through increased comfort and aptitude with the weapon, a notion consistent with the construct of practical capability. Furthermore, these findings are consistent with research indicating that guns do not cause healthy individuals to become suicidal, but rather increase risk among already suicidal individuals. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of considering practical experience with guns as well as simple ownership and storage methods.
枪支在美国自杀死亡中占一半，但关于枪支带来风险的机制的研究有限。虽然研究表明枪支拥有和不安全的枪支储存与自杀风险升高有关，但此类研究无法深入了解使用枪支的历史在多大程度上发挥了作用。我们在一个枪支拥有量高的州（密西西比州）招募了一个社区样本（N=100；76%为女性；44%为黑人），对其进行了既往自杀行为的过采样。与假设一致，一生中开枪的次数越多，与自杀能力的要素（对死亡的无畏、耐痛、疼痛持续）和一生中的自杀企图有关，但与自杀意念或简单的疼痛感知无关。这些发现表明，枪支可能通过增加对武器的舒适度和适应度来带来自杀风险，这一观点与实用能力的概念一致。此外，这些发现与表明枪支不会使健康个体变得自杀，而是会增加已有自杀倾向个体的风险的研究结果一致。总的来说，我们的研究结果强调了考虑实际使用枪支以及简单的拥有和储存方法的重要性。
