Research shows that health care providers underestimate suicide as the leading cause of death from firearms

A survey found that fewer than one in four Coloradans living at home with children recognize suicide as the leading cause of gun death and fewer than half believe suicide can be prevented, according to research presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics 2024 National Conference & Exhibition.

The research appears online in the journal Pediatrics September 27, the first day of the conference at the AAP National Conference and Exhibition which runs from September 27 through October. 1 at the Orange County Convention Center. Although most of the research presented at the conference is preliminary, the study, “Colorado Caregivers’ Perceptions of Firearm Safety and Youth Suicide,” will be published in the October 2024 issue of the journal. Pediatrics.

“We are all working toward the same goal: keeping our children safe,” said the lead author, Maya Haasz, MD FAAP, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. “With this study, we have identified an opportunity to educate families about the preventability of suicide and how limiting access to firearms in times of crisis can reduce suicide deaths.”

The study was conducted using data from the 2023 Colorado Firearm Injury Prevention Survey (COFIPS), an annual state-representative survey of Colorado adults conducted by the University of Colorado Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative.Emergency medicine | Main programs | Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative (cuanschutz.edu).

Among the 1,520 adults who completed the survey, there were 512 caregivers with children under the age of 18 in the household. The survey questions looked at firearm storage, perceptions of firearm-related risks, and concerns about youth suicide

Researchers found that Coloradans living with children in the home underestimated the risk of suicide by firearm. Although nearly two-thirds of participants were concerned about youth suicide in the community, only a third were concerned about youth suicide in their own families.

While those living in households with firearms believe that safe storage reduces the risk of firearm injury, less than half believe suicide can be prevented and only 60% believe that removing firearms from the home reduces the risk of injury in would reduce times of mental health crisis. .

“This is especially concerning because many believe suicide cannot be prevented by measures such as limiting access to firearms for home use,” said Dr. Haasz. “It highlights a critical opportunity to communicate: that there are effective ways to reduce the risk of suicide for our young people.”