| Suicide and increased availability of handguns in the United States. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 2705013 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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During the 25 years between 1959 and 1984, the suicide rate in the United States increased from 10.5/100,000 to 12.4/100,000. The increase was confined to those suicides using a firearm, which had reached 58.5% of the total by the end of the period. At the same time, there was a marked increase in the household ownership of handguns (but not of shotguns and rifles). The present study investigates whether the increase in suicide might be due to the increase in the ownership of handguns. Regression analyses showed a strong relationship between handgun ownership and the rate of gun suicides, but not between handgun ownership and the overall rate of suicide. These results support the hypothesis that the rise in handguns has led to an increase in gun suicides, but, they do not permit a choice between two further competing hypotheses: (i) that more people are now committing suicide because there are more handguns available or, (ii) that people who would otherwise have killed themselves in some different way are now using guns. Because of the potential implications for prevention, further study of these issues is needed. |
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Authors:
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R V Clarke; P R Jones |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Social science & medicine (1982) Volume: 28 ISSN: 0277-9536 ISO Abbreviation: Soc Sci Med Publication Date: 1989 |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 1989-05-19 Completed Date: 1989-05-19 Revised Date: 2004-11-17 |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 8303205 Medline TA: Soc Sci Med Country: ENGLAND |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 805-9 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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School of Criminal Justice, Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, Newark 17102. |
Export Citation:
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APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Firearms* Humans Regression Analysis Suicide / epidemiology*, prevention & control United States |
| Comments/Corrections | |
Comment In:
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Soc Sci Med. 1989;29(9):1143
[PMID:
2814598
]
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From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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