Katherine MacWilliams, John Marmion, Dee Blascyk, Sharon Urbina, Rachel Moyers, Gala True
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Firearms are involved in more than 70% of U.S. Veteran suicides. Caregivers, defined as family members or concerned significant others, can play an important role in firearm suicide prevention through initiating conversations about secure firearm storage with Veterans. Our objective was to explore caregivers' experiences with lethal means safety (LMS) conversations and identify perceived barriers to caregivers discussing LMS with healthcare providers and with Veterans.
Methods: We conducted focus groups with 32 caregivers with experience caring for a Veteran at risk for suicide. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis.
Results: We identified three primary themes: 1) caregivers recognize and endorse the importance of having conversations about secure firearm storage to prevent suicide, 2) despite this, caregivers described barriers to discussing lethal means safety both with healthcare providers and with Veterans, and 3) caregivers suggested strategies to improve their involvement in LMS planning in clinical settings and to support their ability to initiate LMS discussions with Veterans.
Conclusions: Providing additional training for healthcare providers and ensuring availability of caregiver-focused LMS resources could be key to increasing caregiver involvement in LMS planning and improving caregivers' role in reducing access to firearms for Veterans at risk of dying by suicide.
期刊介绍：
Injury Epidemiology is dedicated to advancing the scientific foundation for injury prevention and control through timely publication and dissemination of peer-reviewed research. Injury Epidemiology aims to be the premier venue for communicating epidemiologic studies of unintentional and intentional injuries, including, but not limited to, morbidity and mortality from motor vehicle crashes, drug overdose/poisoning, falls, drowning, fires/burns, iatrogenic injury, suicide, homicide, assaults, and abuse. We welcome investigations designed to understand the magnitude, distribution, determinants, causes, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and outcomes of injuries in specific population groups, geographic regions, and environmental settings (e.g., home, workplace, transport, recreation, sports, and urban/rural). Injury Epidemiology has a special focus on studies generating objective and practical knowledge that can be translated into interventions to reduce injury morbidity and mortality on a population level. Priority consideration will be given to manuscripts that feature contemporary theories and concepts, innovative methods, and novel techniques as applied to injury surveillance, risk assessment, development and implementation of effective interventions, and program and policy evaluation.
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