Health Consequences of Firearm-Related Abuse and Exposure in the Context of Intimate Partner Violence Victimization

• In Event: A Deeper Understanding of the Intersection of Firearms and Health

Abstract

We investigated the mental and physical health outcomes of high-risk IPV victims who were exposed to firearms in an abusive relationship. Questionnaires were administered to female victims of domestic violence (N = 215) recruited from domestic violence shelters across six locations in Texas. About 35% of participants ever lived with an abuser who kept a gun in the home—nearly two thirds of whom used a firearm during the abuse. We addressed the following research questions: (1) Do victims whose abusers use firearms during the abuse manifest poorer mental and physical health relative to other victims, above and beyond non-firearm related abusive behavior such as physical and psychological abuse? (2) Do different uses of firearms (i.e., implicit threats, explicit threats, and actual use of weapon) within the abusive context have heterogeneous effects on victim mental and physical health? (3) Do women who live with abusers who own firearms but do not utilize them during the abuse experience similar mental and physical health outcomes as women whose abusers use firearms during the abuse? Findings can illuminate how guns are used within abusive relationships and the health repercussions of this abuse.

Authors

• Kellie Lynch, The University of Texas at San Antonio

• Dylan B. Jackson, The University of Texas at San Antonio