Abstract
Purpose
In addition to firearm-related intimate partner homicides, approximately 4.5 million adults in the US are threatened or harmed with a firearm by their intimate partner. It is unknown how many children are exposed to firearm-related IPV specifically, but an estimated 8–15 million children are exposed to parental IPV each year in the US. We sought to examine adult help-seeking behaviors when children are exposed or threatened in the context of firearm-related IPV.
Methods
Adults with exposure to firearm-related IPV were surveyed using an online, anonymous survey (66.1% eligible respondent completion rate) administered to the YouGov US residents survey panel.
Results
We included 244 respondents who endorsed experiencing firearm-related IPV. In homes where children lived during the firearm-related IPV (n = 115), 21.2% (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 11.2–36.6%) of perpetrators harmed or threatened to harm the children with a firearm. Respondents who lived in those homes endorsed more help-seeking behaviors than respondents who lived without children or in homes where children were not threatened.
Conclusion
The high prevalence of help-seeking behaviors reported by adults living with firearm-threatened children indicates both a need and an opportunity to support greater integration of services for IPV victims and children.
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Funding
This work has been supported by State of Washington. Drs. Lyons, Cunningham, Rowhani-Rahbar and Rivara receive support from the FACTS (Firearm-safety Among Children & Teens) Consortium [also known as “Building Research Capacity for Firearm Safety Among Children”], funded by the National Institutes of Health within the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (NICHD, 1R24HD087149). Dr. Adhia is supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (grant 1K99HD102567).
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Drs. Lyons and Adhia designed the data collection instruments, oversaw data collection, conducted analyses, drafted, reviewed, and revised the manuscript. Ms. Asa contributed to interpretation of data, drafting, reviewing and revising the manuscript. Drs. Cunningham, Rowhani-Rahbar and Rivara contributed to conception of the project, interpretation of the data, and reviewed and revised the manuscript. All authors approved the final manuscript as submitted and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
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Appendix 1 Survey Questions
Appendix 1 Survey Questions
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Lyons, V.H., Adhia, A., Asa, N. et al. Adult Help Seeking Behaviors Following Firearm-Related IPV and Threats to a Child: Results of a National Survey. J Fam Viol 38, 775–790 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-022-00430-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-022-00430-5