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Abstract
Objective Adolescent firearm violence poses a serious public health concern. The aim of this study is to explore correlates of access to firearms and firearm carrying patterns among adolescents in 2022. While previous research has documented correlates and risk factors for firearm carrying, the majority of this research has relied on samples collected prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and recent shifts in national patterns of firearm violence.
Methods We analysed data from the 2022 Florida Youth and Substance Use Survey (FYSAS) (N=41 768). Logistic regression models were used to examine associations between demographic, familial, temperamental, and behavioural factors and both ease of perceived firearm access and patterns of firearm carrying.
Results The results suggest that gender, grade level, race, residential setting, having a parent in the military, delinquency, depression, bullying and substance use are associated with perceived firearm access. In addition, gender, grade level, residential setting, ease of firearm access, delinquency, substance use, and bullying are all associated with firearm carrying.
Conclusions Our findings suggest a host of demographic features and behavioural factors are associated with both perceived ease of firearm access and patterns of firearm carrying. Implications of these findings for reducing access to firearms is discussed.
- adolescent
- public health
- firearm
Data availability statement
Data may be obtained from a third party and are not publicly available. Data from the Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey (FYSAS) is available by request from the Florida Department of Children and Families.
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Data availability statement
Data may be obtained from a third party and are not publicly available. Data from the Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey (FYSAS) is available by request from the Florida Department of Children and Families.
Footnotes
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Contributors CB: guarantor; conceptualisation; writing—original draft; writing—reviewing and editing. MSJ: conceptualisation; data curation; analysis; writing—original draft; writing—reviewing and editing. DS: conceptualisation; writing—original draft; writing—reviewing and editing. DBJ: conceptualisation; writing—original draft; writing—reviewing and editing.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Patient and public involvement Patients and/or the public were not involved in the design, or conduct, or reporting or dissemination plans of this research.
Provenance and peer review Part of a topic collection; not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
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