Handgun Carrying and Suicidality: An Analysis of Florida Adolescents

• In Event: Gun Violence and Mental Health

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study is to explore the relationship between handgun carrying and suicidality in middle school and high school students.
Design: In order to do so, we analyzed data from the 2023 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey (FYSAS). Logistic regression techniques were used to examine the relationship between ever carrying a handgun in the previous 12 months, frequency of carrying a handgun, suicidal thoughts, forming a suicide plan, and attempting suicide in the previous 12 months.
Results: The results indicate that handgun carrying (both ever and frequency) are positively associated with the likelihood of suicidal thoughts. In addition, the results suggest that handgun carrying (both ever and frequency) is also positively associated with attempting suicide among adolescents who have experienced suicidal thoughts in the past year.
Conclusion: Our findings indicate that carrying a handgun in the previous 12 months and increased frequency of carrying a handgun increases the risks of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts in adolescents. The policy implications for these findings are discussed.

Authors

• Cashen Boccio, The University of Texas at San Antonio

• Dylan B. Jackson, Johns Hopkins University

• Alex Testa, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

• Daniel Semenza, Rutgers University

• Melissa Jones, Brigham Young University