Neighborhood Characteristics and Firearm-Related Suicides in Detroit, Michigan

• In Event: Neighborhoods and Gun Violence

Abstract

Suicide is a public health problem and a leading cause of premature death in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified that suicide was the leading cause of death for people ages 10-14 and 20-34. Research finds that firearms are utilized in approximately half of all suicides in the country. To date, a considerable amount of research has found that suicide and suicidal behaviors are influenced by social determinants of health that often include poverty, limited affordable housing, and lack of educational opportunities. The current study utilizes social disorganization theory to examine if firearm-related suicides are more likely to occur in socially disorganized neighborhoods compared to organized neighborhoods in Detroit, Michigan. This large, urban city provides an opportunity to focus on factors that have heightened the risk of suicide, such as neighborhoods with a high percentage of poverty or community violence. Study data were obtained from law enforcement records from 2017-2023 and the U.S. Census Bureau’s 5-year American Community Survey estimates, 2018-2022. The current study addresses previous shortcomings in understanding firearm suicides at the meso-level. A thorough examination of firearm-related suicides at the neighborhood level can help inform the development of neighborhood and community-based interventions.

Author

• Jordan Michael Parker, Michigan State University