College of Education and Psychology, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, USA.
New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center, Piscataway, NJ, USA.
Int Rev Psychiatry. 2021 Nov;33(7):631-637. doi: 10.1080/09540261.2021.1910498. Epub 2021 Jul 3.
This present study sought to examine how demographics and the availability of means for suicide converge to impact method selection between firearms and hanging, which are the two most lethal and commonly used methods for suicide in the United States. Data were collected as part of a larger online study that gathered information about suicide decedents and the circumstances around their death from family members and friends; the most common sources being parents, friends, and other family members. This study used data from those who died by suicide by firearm or hanging ( = 149); and was restricted to those who identified as male and white. The study examined if age, education, marital status, military affiliation, and firearm ownership impacted method selection. Results indicated that age and owning a firearm were associated with using a firearm in a suicide death. Additionally, those who used a firearm were significantly younger and more likely to own a firearm than those who used another method; and those who died by hanging were significantly younger than those who used another method. Findings from this study can be leveraged to improve the effectiveness of means safety efforts and create more personalised public health messages on firearm safe storage.
本研究旨在探讨人口统计学特征和自杀手段的可用性如何相互作用，影响美国最致命和最常用的两种自杀方式——枪支和上吊自杀的方法选择。这些数据是作为一项更大规模的在线研究的一部分收集的，该研究从家属和朋友那里收集了自杀者及其死亡情况的信息；最常见的信息来源是父母、朋友和其他家庭成员。本研究使用了那些通过枪支或上吊自杀（ = 149）的数据，并仅限于那些自认为是男性和白人的人。该研究调查了年龄、教育程度、婚姻状况、兵役和枪支拥有是否影响方法选择。结果表明，年龄和拥有枪支与自杀死亡中使用枪支有关。此外，使用枪支自杀的人比使用其他方法的人明显更年轻，更有可能拥有枪支；而使用上吊自杀的人比使用其他方法的人明显更年轻。这项研究的结果可以用来提高手段安全措施的有效性，并针对枪支安全储存问题制定更个性化的公共卫生信息。
