Department of Psychology, Florida State University, 1107 West Call Street, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA.
Psychiatry Res. 2021 Jan;295:113584. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113584. Epub 2020 Nov 19.
Most suicide deaths in the United States are enacted with a firearm, and recent and first-time purchasers of firearms represent at-risk groups. This study aimed to examine differences in indicators of suicide risk among individuals who either (a) reported current firearm ownership/access or (b) denied current firearm ownership/access but reported an intention to obtain a firearm (i.e., prospective firearm owners). Participants were 96 young adults with a lifetime history of suicidal ideation and firearm ownership, access, or interest. We assessed recent suicidal ideation severity with the Depressive Symptom Index-Suicidality Subscale (DSI-SS) and sought to internally replicate findings with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) item 9. Fifty-two (54.2%) participants reported firearm ownership/access and 44 (45.8%) identified as prospective firearm owners. Prospective firearm owners had significantly greater DSI-SS suicidal ideation severity scores compared with those who already own/have access to a firearm, corresponding to a medium effect size; results were consistent with the PHQ-9 suicidal ideation item. Findings of this initial investigation suggest that the intention to commence firearm ownership might represent an at-risk period, especially for individuals with a history of suicidal thinking. Replication of findings in larger and more clinically severe samples is needed.
在美国，大多数自杀死亡都是通过枪支实施的，而最近和首次购买枪支的人是处于危险中的群体。本研究旨在研究报告当前拥有/接触枪支（a）或报告当前拥有/接触枪支但有购买意图（即潜在枪支拥有者）（b）的个体之间自杀风险指标的差异。参与者是 96 名有过自杀意念和枪支拥有、接触或兴趣史的年轻成年人。我们使用抑郁症状指数自杀量表（DSI-SS）评估最近的自杀意念严重程度，并试图用患者健康问卷（PHQ-9）第 9 项来复制发现。52 名（54.2%）参与者报告拥有/接触枪支，44 名（45.8%）被确定为潜在枪支拥有者。潜在枪支拥有者的 DSI-SS 自杀意念严重程度评分明显高于已经拥有/接触枪支的人，对应于中等效应大小；PHQ-9 自杀意念项目的结果也是一致的。这一初步研究结果表明，开始拥有枪支的意图可能代表一个危险时期，尤其是对于有自杀想法史的个体。需要在更大和更严重的临床样本中复制这些发现。
