Risk and protective factors related to youth firearm violence: a scoping review and directions for future research

Carissa J. Schmidt, Laney Rupp, Jesenia M. Pizarro, Daniel B. Lee, Charles C. Branas, Marc A. Zimmerman

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

55 Scopus citations

Abstract

To conduct our scoping review of risk and protective factors for firearm violence among youth, we searched PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, and Criminal Justice Abstracts for English-language research articles published between January 1985 and May 2018. We included studies of modifiable risk or protective factors associated with intentional (including suicide) or unintentional firearm victimization or perpetration with samples that included youth ≤ 17. Among the 28 included studies, 15 explored risk/protective factors for victimization, five focused on perpetration, five did not differentiate between victimization and perpetration, and five focused on suicide. Most studies examined individual-level risk factors. The few that explored factors beyond the individual were limited by methodological weaknesses and inconsistent findings. Protective factors for youth firearm outcomes were understudied. We need more research on youth firearm violence using longitudinal data and robust statistical methods. Future research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms by which risk/protective factors influence firearm violence.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)706-723
Number of pages18
JournalJournal of Behavioral Medicine
Volume42
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 15 2019

Keywords

  • Adolescents
  • Children
  • Firearm suicide
  • Firearm violence
  • Risk factors

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Psychology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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