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Honor ideology and private firearm ownership in US active-duty soldiers
  1. Raymond Tucker1,
  2. Jarrod E Bock2,
  3. Jessica L Gerner3,
  4. Evan A Albury3,
  5. Jeffery Osgood4,
  6. Samantha E Daruwala5,6,
  7. Melanie L Bozzay5,
  8. Michael N Dretsch4,
  9. Benjamin Trachik4,
  10. Michael Anestis7,
  11. Craig J Bryan8
  1. 1Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
  2. 2Psychology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
  3. 3Department of Psychology, Catholic University of America, Washington, DC, USA
  4. 4Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
  5. 5Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
  6. 6VA Finger Lakes Health Care System, Canandaigua, New York, USA
  7. 7Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
  8. 8The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA
  1. Correspondence to Dr Raymond Tucker; rtucker1{at}lsu.edu

Abstract

Objectives This study investigated whether honor ideology, or a belief that one’s reputation must be defended at all costs, is related to firearms ownership in soldiers.

Methods N=301 active-duty soldiers completed online self-report measures in this cross-sectional study.

Results Honor ideology was higher in soldiers who privately own a firearm compared with those who do not currently own and do not plan to after military separation. Higher honor ideology was correlated with a disbelief that private firearms ownership is related to soldier suicide risk. Levels of honor ideology were equal in soldiers who own a private firearm for protection versus other reasons (eg, hunting, maintaining a collection).

Conclusions Honor ideology may be related to suicide risk through increased likelihood of owning a private firearm and disbelief in private firearm ownership being related to one’s own suicide risk in soldiers. Honor ideology could be relevant to consider when means safety initiatives are developed for active-duty military personnel.

  • Firearm
  • Military
  • Suicide/Self?Harm

Data availability statement

Data are available upon reasonable request. Data sharing must be approved by Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and appropriate military channels.

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Data availability statement

Data are available upon reasonable request. Data sharing must be approved by Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and appropriate military channels.

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Footnotes

  • X @jessicalgerner, @PsychBrownBag

  • Contributors RT (Guarantor): Study design, analysis, interpretation, drafting, revising. JEB: Study design, analysis, drafting, revising. JLG: Drafting, revising. EAA: Drafting, revising. JO: Data acquisition, interpretation, revising. SED: Interpretation, revising. MLB: Interpretation, revising. MND: Data acquisition, interpretation, revising. MA: Study design, interpretation, revising. CJB: Study design, interpretation, revising. BT: Study design, data acquisition, interpretation, revising.

  • Funding This work was supported by the US Army Medical and Material Command’s Military Operational Medicine Research Program award number MO220114.

  • 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 Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.