 |
| Research article summary (published 27 Feb 2007): |
Firearm suicide: use of a firearm injury and death surveillance system.
Full Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Suicide is an important public health concern. Firearms are the most common mechanism of suicide death. This study describes the epidemiology of fatal and nonfatal firearm suicide injuries (FSI) in one metropolitan area from 2002 through 2004 using a firearm injury surveillance system.
METHODS:
Records were obtained of all victims of firearm injuries from hospitals, police, and the coroner. All injuries categorized as suicide were included.
RESULTS:
Local age adjusted suicide rates were significantly higher than state or national rates for ages 15 to 24, and significantly higher than national rates for ages 25 to 44. Men were FSI victims more than five times as often as women were. There was no seasonal pattern identified. Handguns were used nearly three out of four times. Eighty-six percent of FSI victims died, two-thirds at the scene. Most wounds were in the head or chest. Mental illness or relationship problems were common. Most suicides occurred in a residence.
CONCLUSIONS:
Community level firearm injury surveillance effectively identifies local trends that may differ from national statistics. Collaboration among various groups is used to support injury prevention programs. These data can both complement and contribute to national statistics.
Learn Faster Today Improve your study skills
Author information
Author/s: Streib, Erik W (EW); Hackworth, Jodi (J); Hayward, Thomas Z (TZ); Jacobson, Lewis E (LE); Simons, Clark J (CJ); Falimirski, Mark E (ME); O'Neil, Joseph (J); Bull, Marilyn J (MJ); Gomez, Gerardo A (GA);
Affiliation: Department of Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, IN 46202, USA. estreib(-atsign-)iupui.edu
Journal and publication information
Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Journal: The Journal of trauma (J Trauma), published in United States. (Language: eng)
Reference: 2007-Mar; vol 62 (issue 3) : pp 730-4
Dates: Created 2007/04/06; Completed 2007/05/01;
PMID: 17414355, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)
Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.
External Links for this article (including full text providers, if available):
Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.
This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.
MeSH headings (categories)
This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.
|
Related articles
This article has not been indexed for related articles as yet, however you can still use the live related article search links below.
See a large map of 100+ related articles.