Utilizing Personality Assessment to Further Firearm Injury Prevention Research: An Example Investigation with the MMPI-3.

Abstract

Firearm violence, and especially firearm suicide, is a growing public health concern in the United States that requires a multidisciplinary approach to address. We argue that assessment psychologists are particularly well-suited to enhance understanding of firearm owners' individual differences, perceptions, and beliefs. Creating a robust literature at the nexus of personality, assessment, and firearms is vital to the development and implementation of effective firearm injury prevention interventions tailored to the firearm-owning population. In addition to reviewing the current literature and providing a call to action for assessment psychologists, we present a small exploratory study that examines relationships between the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-3 (MMPI-3) Substantive scales, firearm ownership, and beliefs regarding the relationship between suicide and firearms. Our sample included 99 undergraduate students, 22 of which (22.2%) owned firearms. Preliminary findings suggest that firearm owners may be less prone to internalizing distress relative to non-firearm owners, and several internalizing scales were positively associated with the belief that firearms in the home and unsecure firearm storage increase suicide risk. We offer some potential implications of these preliminary findings and make recommendations for ways in which assessment psychologists can contribute to firearm injury prevention research.