TY - JOUR
T1 - Mental Disorders, Gun Ownership, and Gun Carrying Among Soldiers After Leaving the Army, 2016-2019
AU - Bossarte, Robert M.
AU - Ziobrowski, Hannah N.
AU - Benedek, David M.
AU - Dempsey, Catherine L.
AU - King, Andrew J.
AU - Nock, Matthew K.
AU - Sampson, Nancy A.
AU - Stein, Murray B.
AU - Ursano, Robert J.
AU - Kessler, Ronald C.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 American Public Health Association Inc.. All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/10
Y1 - 2021/10
N2 - Objectives. To examine associations of current mental and substance use disorders with self-reported gun ownership and carrying among recently separated US Army soldiers. Veterans have high rates of both gun ownership and mental disorders, the conjunction of which might contribute to the high suicide rate in this group. Methods. Cross-sectional survey data were collected in 2018-2019 from 5682 recently separated personnel who took part in the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers. Validated measures assessed recent mood, anxiety, substance use, and externalizing disorders. Logistic regression models examined associations of sociodemographic characteristics, service characteristics, and mental disorders with gun ownership and carrying. Results. Of the participants, 50% reported gun ownership. About half of owners reported carrying some or most of the time. Mental disorders were not associated significantly with gun ownership. However, among gun owners, major depressive disorder, panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and intermittent explosive disorder were associated with significantly elevated odds of carrying at least some of the time. Conclusions. Mental disorders are not associated with gun ownership among recently separated Army personnel, but some mental disorders are associated with carrying among gun owners.
AB - Objectives. To examine associations of current mental and substance use disorders with self-reported gun ownership and carrying among recently separated US Army soldiers. Veterans have high rates of both gun ownership and mental disorders, the conjunction of which might contribute to the high suicide rate in this group. Methods. Cross-sectional survey data were collected in 2018-2019 from 5682 recently separated personnel who took part in the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers. Validated measures assessed recent mood, anxiety, substance use, and externalizing disorders. Logistic regression models examined associations of sociodemographic characteristics, service characteristics, and mental disorders with gun ownership and carrying. Results. Of the participants, 50% reported gun ownership. About half of owners reported carrying some or most of the time. Mental disorders were not associated significantly with gun ownership. However, among gun owners, major depressive disorder, panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and intermittent explosive disorder were associated with significantly elevated odds of carrying at least some of the time. Conclusions. Mental disorders are not associated with gun ownership among recently separated Army personnel, but some mental disorders are associated with carrying among gun owners.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85118285744&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.2105/AJPH.2021.306420
DO - 10.2105/AJPH.2021.306420
M3 - Article
C2 - 34623878
AN - SCOPUS:85118285744
SN - 0090-0036
VL - 111
SP - 1855
EP - 1864
JO - American Journal of Public Health
JF - American Journal of Public Health
IS - 10
ER -