Association of medical conditions and firearm suicide among legal handgun purchasers in California: a case-control study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Suicide is a pressing public health problem, and firearm owners are at especially elevated risk. Certain health conditions are markers of suicide risk, but more research is needed on clinical risk markers for suicide among firearm owners specifically. Our goal was to examine associations of emergency department and inpatient hospital visits for behavioral and physical health conditions with firearm suicide among handgun purchasers.

Methods

This was a case-control study of 5415 legal handgun purchasers in California who died between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2013. Cases were firearm suicide decedents; controls were motor vehicle crash decedents. Exposures were emergency department and hospital visits for six categories of health diagnoses in the 3 years pri

SUBMITTER: Schleimer JP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10276506 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature