Gun Access, Gun Violence, and Substance Use in Emerging Adults: A Latent Class Analysis

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

Abstract

We identified groups of individuals based on their gun access and gun related experiences (i.e., gun carriage, threatened someone with a gun, and been threatened with a gun) and assess whether the groups differ on their substance use. We used data from Wave 8 (2017) of an ongoing longitudinal study of adolescent and emerging adult (EA) health. Participants were 663 EAs (Mage=22 years), including 62% female, 27% White, 34% Hispanic, 26% Black, and 13% “other.” Latent class analysis identified three groups: 1) Minimal Gun Access/Use (65.0%), 2) Minimal Use with Access (33.4%), 3) Gun User with Access (1.6%). Male EAs were more likely than female EAs to be in the Gun User with Access group. White EAs were more likely than all other racial groups to be in the Minimal Use with Access class. The Gun Users with Access group was more likely than the other groups to report more frequent alcohol use, binge drinking, cigarette use, and marijuana use. E-cigarette, prescription medication, and hard drug use did not differ between the three groups. Findings highlight the potentially dangerous intersection between substance use and gun use, emphasizing the need for substance use intervention to include information relevant to gun safety.

Authors

• Yu Lu, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston

• Jeff Temple, University of Texas Medical Branch