For decades, politicians and gun lobbying organizations have perpetuated the notion that mental health issues drive mass violence. A new study is challenging that narrative, though, showing that, rather than causing acts of violence, exposure to gun violence increased rates of depression among respondents and led to higher use of mental health services.
The study, led by researchers at the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center, surveyed 8,009 respondents across the country, assessing both their exposure to gun violence and their mental health over time. It found that a greater frequency of gun violence exposure was associated with higher depression scores, greater odds of mental health service use, and, perhaps most significantly, greater odds of suicidal ideation compared to having no exposure. It’s the first time, using a national representative survey, that researchers have found a correlation between people exposed to gun violence and higher rates of suicidal ideation.
The research is an integral step in what experts call a public health approach to gun violence, helping to lay out the empirical foundation for future prevention efforts.
“Until we understand the true scope of what gun violence means for our health and our well-being … we are not going to tackle it in a way that fully addresses the issue with all the resources required,” said Daniel Semenza, director of research at the center and the lead author of the study.
The study, published in the journal Social Science and Medicine in February, found that 40 percent of the respondents had heard gunshots multiple times in their lives. Another 12 percent had cumulative exposure, meaning they were exposed to five or more forms of gun violence, including witnessing a shooting or being threatened with a gun, in their lifetimes. Exposure to firearm suicide more than once and being shot multiple times were found to be associated with increased depression and suicide risks. This recent analysis expands on Semenza’s study from last year that found that preparation for a suicide attempt was nearly four times higher among Black Americans who had been shot.
“This study is vital to be able to talk about what gun violence does to the mental health of America as a whole, and what it means for our collective well-being,” Semenza said. “But the conversation doesn’t have to stop there. Exposure to gun violence is fundamentally unequal, and it impacts those who are most marginalized throughout the country.”
The recent findings hit close to home for Aswad Thomas, a gun violence survivor and the vice president of the Alliance for Safety and Justice, a national organization that provides resources to trauma recovery centers, specialized facilities that support victims of crime.
“When I got shot, I remember during the discharge process that my doctors and nurses told me about the physical challenges, but they never mentioned anything about the psychological effects,” Thomas said. “I’ve lost about 40 friends to gun violence throughout my life, and the topic as it relates to ‘how do we heal and cope’ has just been nonexistent.”
Research has consistently found that people suffering from severe mental health issues are more likely to be victims of gun violence rather than perpetrators. A 10-year study in San Francisco showed the primary need for gun violence victims was mental health services, and hospital violence intervention program screening in Philadelphia found 75 percent of participants suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Experts working in those care settings have long reported on the effects of interpersonal violence on marginalized communities, but continue to face financial challenges in sustaining their research.
“We are seeing the highest rates of suicide among Black adolescents that we’ve ever seen,” said Fatimah Loren Dreier, the executive director of the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention, a national organization of hospital-based violence intervention programs. “This study may unlock some of the mechanisms that are making that so, given the increased concentration of violence in communities of color and the distress that comes from that exposure.”
Semenza said the study expands on the groundwork that programs like the trauma recovery centers have sustained by highlighting the connection between mental health services and gun violence victims. This support, through mechanisms like grief counseling, transportation, and financial assistance, is the core of the work trauma recovery centers do to help those affected by gun violence, Thomas noted.
“It’s not that most people, especially survivors, don’t want to get mental health services, but it’s really an issue about access,” Thomas said. “There needs to be more public understanding of these issues, and there needs to be more investments into those type of program services, like the trauma recovery model.”
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