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Identifying Suicide Risk in Adolescents With Firearm Access: Screening in the Emergency Department
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Identifying Suicide Risk in Adolescents With Firearm Access: Screening in the Emergency Department

Samaa Kemal, Polina Krass, Leah Brogan, Jungwon Min, William O. Quarshie and Joel A. Fein
Academic pediatrics
15 May 2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acap.2022.05.011
PMID: 35584765
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel

Abstract

adolescents behavioral health depression firearms suicide
This study compares current suicidal ideation, prior suicide attempt and associated self-reported risk factors in adolescents with and without access to firearms. Using data from a clinically applied behavioral health assessment completed by adolescents presenting to a tertiary children's hospital emergency department (ED; N = 15,806), we evaluated the association between firearm access (ie, firearm in the home or ability to obtain one within 24 hours), each of the included suicide risk factors (ie, depressive symptoms, trauma victimization, bullying victimization), and our primary outcomes (ie, current suicidal ideation and prior suicide attempt). We performed regression analyses on 3 groups: 1) The overall population; 2) Only the participants with firearm access; and 3) Only the participants without firearm access. Fourteen percent (2179/15,806) of the sample reported a firearm in the home or ability to access one within 24 hours. Overall, 6.8% of participants reported current suicidal ideation and 9.1% reported prior suicide attempt. Youth with firearm access had 1.52 times higher odds of current suicidal ideation and 1.61 times higher odds of prior suicide attempt compared to youth without firearm access. All included suicide risk factors were found to significantly increase the odds of current suicidal ideation and prior suicide attempt in the overall sample; this increase was similar in the groups with and without firearm access. Adolescents with firearm access have higher odds of suicidal ideation and prior attempt compared to those without firearm access, highlighting the need for universal ED-based screening for suicidality and lethal means.

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7 Record Views
11 citations in Web of Science
10 citations in Scopus

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Pediatrics
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