Nearly 4 in 10 California Teens Worry About Firearms Violence

About 39% of California adolescents reported they are worried about experiencing firearm violence, correlated with increased psychological distress, according to a study, “Adolescent Worry About Experiencing Firearm Violence and its Association with Mental Health,” published in the November 2026 Pediatrics. Researchers analyzed data from 2,154 teens using 2021 and 2022 California Health Interview Survey data for the study, published online Oct. 12. Researchers found worrying about firearm violence was associated with 1.6 times greater odds of past-month psychological distress and 1.7 times greater odds of past-year suicidal ideation.  Worrying about experiencing firearm violence was associated with these characteristics: being female, a diverse gender identity, lower socioeconomic status, frequent social media use, perceiving their neighborhood as unsafe, having access to firearms, and knowing peers who have a firearm. In contrast, worrying about experiencing firearm violence was negatively correlated with having a firearm at home and ever using a firearm. Firearm violence is the leading cause of death among children and adolescents ages 1-17 in the United States (U.S.), with approximately 70% of these deaths among adolescents ages 15-17. As firearm violence increases, U.S. adolescents have also reported increasing levels of psychological distress and suicide ideation over the past 10 years. The authors suggest that researchers, policymakers, and mental health experts work together to address factors such as firearms violence that affect adolescents’ mental health and wellbeing.

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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.