Journal
PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES
Volume 18, Issue 3, Pages 335-344Publisher
EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHING FOUNDATION-AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOC
DOI: 10.1037/ser0000410
Keywords
PTSD; hyperarousal; firearms; means safety; suicide
Categories
Funding
- Military Suicide Research Consortium (MSRC)
- Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs [W81XWH-10-20181]
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This study found that U.S. Army National Guard personnel with elevated PTSD hyperarousal symptoms are more likely to store their firearms unsafely, which may increase the risk of suicide. Efforts to identify modifiable factors related to unsafe firearm storage could inform military suicide prevention strategies.
Soldiers in the U.S. Army National Guard are at elevated risk for suicide compared to soldiers in the other components. Most suicides by military service members, including members of the U.S. Army National Guard, are enacted with personal firearms. The unsafe storage of firearms is associated with increased risk for death by suicide. Therefore, efforts to elucidate modifiable factors associated with unsafe firearm storage have the potential to inform military suicide prevention efforts. PTSD hyperarousal symptoms are characterized in part by a heightened sense of being on guard for potential dangers and might contribute to an increased likelihood of storing firearms unsafely. This study sought to examine if more severe PTSD hyperarousal symptoms are associated with greater unsafe firearm storage practices. Participants were 327 U.S. Army National Guard personnel (M [SD](age) = 26.90 [7.45] years; 93.3% male; 77.8% White/Caucasian). Firearm storage practices were assessed via a structured questionnaire. PTSD symptoms (reexperiencing, avoidance, numbing, hyperarousal) were assessed via the PTSD Checklist-Military Version (PCL-M). Logistic regression analyses were utilized. Elevated PTSD hyperarousal symptoms were significantly associated with storing firearms loaded and/or in nonsecure locations, even after controlling for the effects of the other PTSD symptom clusters. Sensitivity analyses revealed that the pattern of findings remained consistent among participants with a deployment history and when controlling for the effects of agitation symptoms. Findings of this study suggest that U.S. Army National Guard personnel who experience elevated PTSD hyperarousal symptoms are more likely to store their firearms unsafely. Implications for military suicide prevention are discussed.
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