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Slightly below 4 in 10 ladies who died by firearm suicide had no documented historical past of psychological or bodily well being issues in a brand new research, highlighting a necessity for prevention methods tailor-made to at-risk ladies.
The findings come at a time when suicides have been on the rise, alongside a surge in gun possession—particularly amongst ladies, stated lead writer Laura Prater, an assistant professor in The Ohio State College Faculty of Public Well being.
Within the final twenty years, firearm deaths within the U.S., together with these involving suicide, elevated by virtually 50%. Ladies traditionally made up 10–20% of recent gun homeowners, a share that jumped to about 50% in 2020.
“The more guns that are in homes, the more suicides we see among everyone living in those homes,” Prater stated.
“Traditionally, firearm suicide deaths have been highest among white men, including veterans, and that’s what most research and most interventions have focused on,” she stated. “Now that we’re starting to see gun ownership and firearm suicide increase among women, it’s important to understand contributing factors that might help us on the prevention front.”
The analysis is revealed at this time in JAMA Community Open.
Lower than one-third of the ladies within the research had documented proof of psychological well being therapy, and solely round one-fifth reported having a identified bodily well being diagnoses. Collectively, this left a big group for whom there have been seemingly restricted prevention alternatives inside well being care.
Prater’s work has targeted totally on interventions in hospitals, medical practices and different well being care settings, an space wealthy in alternatives to determine folks in danger for self-harm and to attach them with acceptable care and providers.
However this new information, which included an evaluation of greater than 8,300 suicides from 2014 to 2018, has her fascinated by different choices.
“We need to look more closely at women who may not be accessing the health care system, especially because we know intimate partner problems are still common in this group,” Prater stated. “We need to look more broadly than the health care system and ask ourselves if at-risk women are seeking any kind of services outside of that system that we’re missing.”
Potential alternatives embrace reaching out to contributors in applications for girls who face violence, educating neighborhood well being staff, and offering screenings and training at occasions and applications the place ladies collect, Prater stated.
And all well being care settings, together with federally certified well being facilities, needs to be locations the place suppliers stress gun security and open conversations that determine danger and current alternatives to forestall suicide, she stated.
“With firearms in at least one-third of American homes, widespread efforts to educate Americans about gun safety and to prevent deaths by firearm suicide are needed,” Prater stated.
Different Ohio State researchers who labored on the research are Jennifer Hefner and Pejmon Noghrehchi.
Extra info:
Laura C. Prater et al, Psychological and Bodily Well being-Associated Threat Elements Amongst Females Who Died by Firearm Suicide, JAMA Community Open (2025). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.5941
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Research highlights gaps in firearm suicide prevention amongst ladies (2025, April 18)
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