Altikriti Sultan, Semenza Daniel C, Testa Alexander, Jackson Dylan B, Anestis Michael D
New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center, School of Public Health, Rutgers University, United States.
New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center, School of Public Health, Rutgers University, United States; Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice, Rutgers University, United States; Department of Urban-Global Public Health, School of Public Health, Rutgers University, United States.
J Psychiatr Res. 2025 Jan;181:695-700. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.12.030. Epub 2024 Dec 22.
BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been linked to various detrimental life outcomes, including an increase in threat sensitivity and depressive symptoms. Studies have also found an association between ACEs and firearm ownership. To date, no study has assessed whether ACEs have direct or indirect effects on defensive gun use (DGU) through these risk factors.
METHODS/APPROACH: This study used structural equation modeling to estimate the role of threat sensitivity and depressive symptoms in the direct and indirect relationships between ACEs and DGU in a subsample of adults with firearm access (n = 3130) drawn from a recent, nationally representative sample of U.S. adults.
ACEs had significant (p < .05) and positive associations with threat sensitivity (β = 0.246), depressive symptoms (β = 0.291), and DGU (β = 0.093). ACEs also exhibited a significant indirect relationship with DGU through threat sensitivity (β = 0.012) but not depressive symptoms. The indirect relationship between ACEs and DGU through threat sensitivity accounted for 11% of the total effect of ACEs on DGU.
CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS: The findings suggest that ACEs are associated with increased DGU through threat sensitivity. Policy targeting the prevention of ACEs may help reduce DGU, indirectly reducing injury and gun violence. Future research on the impact of ACEs on DGU should identify other externalizing mechanisms that potentially account for this association.
背景/目的：童年不良经历（ACEs）与各种有害的生活结果相关，包括威胁敏感性增加和抑郁症状。研究还发现ACEs与枪支拥有之间存在关联。迄今为止，尚无研究评估ACEs是否通过这些风险因素对防御性枪支使用（DGU）产生直接或间接影响。
方法/途径：本研究使用结构方程模型，在从近期具有全国代表性的美国成年人样本中抽取的有枪支接触的成年人子样本（n = 3130）中，估计威胁敏感性和抑郁症状在ACEs与DGU的直接和间接关系中的作用。
ACEs与威胁敏感性（β = 0.246）、抑郁症状（β = 0.291）和DGU（β = 0.093）存在显著（p <.05）的正相关。ACEs通过威胁敏感性与DGU也表现出显著的间接关系（β = 0.012），但与抑郁症状无关。ACEs通过威胁敏感性与DGU的间接关系占ACEs对DGU总效应的11%。
结论/启示：研究结果表明，ACEs通过威胁敏感性与DGU增加有关。针对预防ACEs的政策可能有助于减少DGU，间接减少伤害和枪支暴力。未来关于ACEs对DGU影响的研究应确定可能解释这种关联的其他外化机制。
