PEDIATRICS· 2026Q1
Adolescent Worry About Experiencing Firearm Violence and Its Association With Mental Health
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- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Worry about experiencing firearm violence is common among California adolescents (39%) and significantly increases their odds of psychological distress (1.6x) and suicide ideation (1.7x).
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Key points
- 39% of California adolescents worry about experiencing firearm violence.
- Worry about firearm violence is linked to female sex, diverse gender identity, lower socioeconomic status, high social media use, perceived unsafe neighborhoods, and firearm access.
- Adolescents worried about firearm violence had 1.6x higher odds of psychological distress.
- Adolescents worried about firearm violence had 1.7x higher odds of suicide ideation.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To examine the associations between worrying about experiencing firearm violence, past-month psychological distress, and past-year suicide ideation among California adolescents. METHODS Cross-sectional analysis of a representative California adolescent sample (n = 2154), using 2021 and 2022 California Health Interview Survey data. The predictor is worrying about experiencing firearm violence, and outcomes are past-month psychological distress and past-year suicide ideation. RESULTS Thirty-nine percent of California adolescents reported worrying about experiencing firearm violence, which was positively correlated with several characteristics: female, diverse gender identity, lower socioeconomic status, frequent social media use, perceiving unsafe neighborhood, having access to firearms, and knowing peers who have a firearm. In contrast, worrying about experiencing firearm violence was negatively correlated with having a firearm at home and ever using a firearm. Worrying about experiencing firearm violence was associated with 1.6 times greater odds of past-month psychological distress and 1.7 times greater odds of past-year suicide ideation. CONCLUSIONS Among California adolescents, worrying about experiencing firearm violence is relatively common and associated with a higher risk of psychological distress and suicide ideation.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. PEDIATRICS, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Health
HealthSocial Sciences