Study: Youth Firearm Injuries Analyzed by Intent and Socioeconomic Factors

A Pediatrics study, “Sociodemographic Factors and Outcomes by Intent of Firearm Injury,” identified distinct risk profiles for individuals age 21 and younger who arrived at emergency departments with firearm wounds over an 8-year period. The study, published in the April 2021 Pediatrics (published online March 29) found that among 178,299 emergency department visits for firearm injuries, approximately a third of the injuries were categorized as unintentional (39.4%), another third as assault (37.7%) and a small proportion as self-harm (1.7%). Researchers analyzed firearm injuries between 2009 and 2016 using the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample. The mean age was nearly 18 years; 89.0% were male, 43.0% were publicly insured, 28.8% were admitted to the hospital, and 6.0% died. The likelihood of unintentional injury was higher among children age 12 and younger. Unintentional firearm injuries were also associated with rural hospital location, Southern region, emergency department discharge, and extremity injury. Self-harm firearm injuries were associated with older age, higher socioeconomic status, rural hospital location, transfer or death, and brain/back/spinal cord injury. Firearm injuries by assault were associated with lower socioeconomic status, urban hospital location, and requiring admission. Each year, firearms are responsible for an estimated 5,000 deaths and 22,000 non-fatal injury visits in American youth. The authors conclude that sociodemographic factors related to intent may be useful in guiding policy and informing tailored interventions for the prevention of firearm injuries in at-risk youth.

###

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.