Adverse childhood experiences and defensive gun use: The indirect role of threat sensitivity and depressive symptoms

IF 3.7 2区医学 Q1 PSYCHIATRY

Journal of psychiatric research Pub Date : 2025-01-01 DOI:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.12.030

Sultan Altikriti , Daniel C. Semenza , Alexander Testa , Dylan B. Jackson , Michael D. Anestis

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background/purpose

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been linked to various detrimental life outcomes, including an increase in threat sensitivity and depressive symptoms. Studies have also found an association between ACEs and firearm ownership. To date, no study has assessed whether ACEs have direct or indirect effects on defensive gun use (DGU) through these risk factors.

Methods/approach

This study used structural equation modeling to estimate the role of threat sensitivity and depressive symptoms in the direct and indirect relationships between ACEs and DGU in a subsample of adults with firearm access (n = 3130) drawn from a recent, nationally representative sample of U.S. adults.

Results

ACEs had significant (p < .05) and positive associations with threat sensitivity (β = 0.246), depressive symptoms (β = 0.291), and DGU (β = 0.093). ACEs also exhibited a significant indirect relationship with DGU through threat sensitivity (β = 0.012) but not depressive symptoms. The indirect relationship between ACEs and DGU through threat sensitivity accounted for 11% of the total effect of ACEs on DGU.

Conclusions/implications

The findings suggest that ACEs are associated with increased DGU through threat sensitivity. Policy targeting the prevention of ACEs may help reduce DGU, indirectly reducing injury and gun violence. Future research on the impact of ACEs on DGU should identify other externalizing mechanisms that potentially account for this association.

查看原文本刊更多论文

不良童年经历与防御性枪支使用：威胁敏感性和抑郁症状的间接作用

背景/目的：不良童年经历（ace）与各种有害的生活结果有关，包括威胁敏感性和抑郁症状的增加。研究还发现，ace和拥有枪支之间存在关联。到目前为止，还没有研究评估ace是否通过这些风险因素对防御性枪支使用（DGU）有直接或间接影响。方法/途径：本研究使用结构方程模型来估计威胁敏感性和抑郁症状在ace和DGU之间的直接和间接关系中的作用，该亚样本来自最近的具有全国代表性的美国成年人样本（n = 3130）。结论/含义：研究结果表明，ace通过威胁敏感性与DGU增加有关。针对ace预防的政策可能有助于减少DGU，间接减少伤害和枪支暴力。未来关于ace对DGU影响的研究应该确定其他可能解释这种关联的外部化机制。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of psychiatric research 医学-精神病学

CiteScore

7.30

自引率

2.10%

发文量

622

审稿时长

130 days

期刊介绍： Founded in 1961 to report on the latest work in psychiatry and cognate disciplines, the Journal of Psychiatric Research is dedicated to innovative and timely studies of four important areas of research: (1) clinical studies of all disciplines relating to psychiatric illness, as well as normal human behaviour, including biochemical, physiological, genetic, environmental, social, psychological and epidemiological factors; (2) basic studies pertaining to psychiatry in such fields as neuropsychopharmacology, neuroendocrinology, electrophysiology, genetics, experimental psychology and epidemiology; (3) the growing application of clinical laboratory techniques in psychiatry, including imagery and spectroscopy of the brain, molecular biology and computer sciences;