Key points Ask Does suicide risk change for women when someone they live with in a previously gun-free household legally acquires a firearm? Findings In this retrospective cohort study of 9.5 million women living in firearm-free households, the suicide rate increased substantially after a cohabitant acquired a firearm compared to the rate among women whose cohabitants never acquired Firearms. The increase in the suicide rate was entirely due to excess firearm suicides. Meaning The findings suggest that the suicide rate of women living in gun-free homes increased significantly after an adult they lived with became a gun owner. |
Importance
Little is known about the extent to which secondhand exposure to household firearms is associated with suicide risk in non-gun-owning adults, the majority of whom are women.
Aim
To assess changes in suicide risk among women living in gun-free households after one of their cohabitants became a firearm owner.
Design, environment and participants
This cohort study observed participants for up to 12 years and 2 months from October 18, 2004 to December 31, 2016. Data was analyzed from April to November 2021.
The study population included 9.5 million adult women in California who did not own guns and who entered the study while living with 1 or more adults in a gun-free household.
Exhibitions
Secondhand exposure to domestic pistols.
Main results and measures
Suicide, suicide with a firearm, suicide without a firearm.
Results
Of 9.5 million women living in firearm-free households, 331,968 women (3.5% of the study population; mean [SD] age, 41.6 [18.0] years) were exposed to firearms. domestic fires during the study period.
In the entire study population, 294,959 women died: 2,197 (1%) of these were by suicide, 337 (15%) of which were firearm suicides.
Rates of suicide by any method during follow-up were higher among cohort members residing with firearm owners compared with those residing in households without firearms (hazard ratio, 1.43; CI 95%, 1.11-1.84).
The excess suicide rate was due to higher rates of firearm suicide (hazard ratio, 4.32; 95% CI, 2.89 to 6.46).
Women in households with and without firearms had similar rates of suicide by non-firearm methods (hazard ratio, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.63-1.27).
Conclusions and relevance
In this study, the suicide rate among women was significantly higher after a cohabitant became a firearm owner compared to the rate observed while they lived in households without firearms.
