Hybrid journal (It can contain Open Access articles) ISSN (Print) 0360-7283 - ISSN (Online) 1545-6854 Published by Oxford University Press[409 journals]
Authors:Sperlich M; Logan-Greene P, Slovak K, et al. Pages: 217 - 220 Abstract: The field of social work has an obligation to address significant issues affecting clients and communities, including the outstanding issue of gun violence in the United States. In 2017, 39,773 individuals died from gun violence. Of those, 60.0 percent died by suicide, 36.6 percent were homicides, 1.5 percent were attributable to police or other law enforcement agents, and 0.8 percent were undetermined (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 2019). Males in all age groups are more likely than females to be killed with a firearm, especially those in their 20s; however, considerable disparities exist for both homicide and suicide when stratified by race and ethnicity. White individuals are more likely to die by firearm-related suicide, and black individuals are at higher risk of death by firearm-related homicide. There are also geographical variations (rural versus urban areas) for firearm-related deaths, and risks for children for both homicide and suicide, particularly among adolescents. A recent Washington Post article reported that by March 6, 2019, more Americans had been shot to death in 2019 than the 4,414 U.S. soldiers and their allies who were killed during the invasion of Normandy on D-Day in 1944 (Bump, 2019). Mass shootings, like that in 2018 at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, have galvanized public concern over the high rates of firearm violence in the United States, and public health experts have deemed gun violence a public health crisis (Bauchner et al., 2017). PubDate: Thu, 17 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/hsw/hlz022 Issue No:Vol. 44, No. 4 (2019)
Authors:Evans E; Thompson M. Pages: 221 - 223 Abstract: This special issue provides the opportunity to try a new format for National Health Line: an interview. In accordance with the topic, Social Work and Gun Violence, I will talk with colleague Matthew Thompson, gun violence researcher at the University of California (UC), Davis, about two prominent research centers, his research, and his insight on how social workers might use such research in the field. First, I provide background summaries of the National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research (NCGVR) and the UC Davis Firearm Violence Research Center (UCFC). Then, Matthew and I explore aspects about their work that may be most useful to social workers. PubDate: Wed, 30 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/hsw/hlz030 Issue No:Vol. 44, No. 4 (2019)
Authors:Aspholm R; St Vil C, Carter K. Pages: 224 - 231 Abstract: AbstractInterpersonal gun violence remains a major public health issue in the United States and beyond. This article explores the research on interpersonal gun violence published in peer-reviewed social work journals since the mid-1990s. Findings from this review indicate that the existing scholarship offers some important insights into this topic, particularly related to risk factors for and the effects of exposure to gun violence. These findings, however, also point to some shortcomings in the literature, including problems with the measurement and analytic treatment of exposure to gun violence and a lack of research with direct victims and perpetrators of gun violence. Implications for future research are discussed. PubDate: Thu, 17 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/hsw/hlz021 Issue No:Vol. 44, No. 4 (2019)
Authors:Knopov A; Siegel M, Xuan Z, et al. Pages: 232 - 240 Abstract: This study aimed to investigate the potential differential effects of state-level firearm laws on black and white populations. Using a panel design, authors examined the relationship between state firearm laws and homicide victimization rates among white people and black people in 39 states during the period between 1991 and 2016. Authors modeled homicide rates using linear regression with year and state fixed effects and controlled for a range of time-varying, state-level factors. Results showed that universal background check laws and permit requirement laws were associated with lower homicide rates among both white and black populations, and “shall issue” laws were associated with higher homicide rates among both white and black populations. Laws that prohibit firearm possession among people convicted of a violent misdemeanor or require relinquishment of firearms by people with a domestic violence restraining order were associated with lower black homicide rates, but not with white homicide rates. Author identification of heterogeneity in the associations between state firearm laws and homicide rates among different racial groups has implications for reducing racial health disparities. PubDate: Wed, 30 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/hsw/hlz024 Issue No:Vol. 44, No. 4 (2019)
Authors:Gearhart M; Berg K, Jones C, et al. Pages: 241 - 248 Abstract: AbstractFirearm-related violence is a significant threat to public health and safety in America. However, research highlights a critical disparity in firearm-related deaths by race. Researchers often cite racial bias as a contributing factor for the racial disparity in firearm-related deaths. To provide a foundation for potential social work interventions, the present article discusses the results of an assessment of whether explicit racial biases toward four racial and ethnic groups (white, black, Asian, Hispanic/Latino), fear of crime, and the quantity and quality of interactions with neighbors of a different race are predictors of gun ownership. Findings suggest that explicit racial bias toward black, Asian, and Hispanic/Latino individuals is a significant predictor of gun ownership. Fear of crime and more frequent interactions with neighbors of a different race are also significant predictors of gun ownership. Taken as a whole, findings suggest that gun owners are more likely to be more vigilant toward people of color because of stereotypical assumptions that racial and ethnic minorities are more likely to be involved with crime. Social work practice and policy implications include developing interventions aimed at reducing implicit bias and identifying policies that are associated with lower levels of implicit bias among gun owners. PubDate: Wed, 30 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/hsw/hlz025 Issue No:Vol. 44, No. 4 (2019)
Authors:Leung C; Kaplan M, Xuan Z. Pages: 249 - 258 Abstract: AbstractThis study examined the association between state-specific firearm control policies and firearm suicide rates among men after adjusting for state-level demographics. This cross-sectional study used state-level mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System and the Brady Campaign State Scorecard in 2017. An age-stratified (15–24 years, 25–44 years, 45–64 years, and ≥ 65 years) multivariable analysis was conducted to identify gun control policies that are associated with firearm suicide rates among men in each age group. Results indicate that the associations of specific firearm control policies and firearm suicide rates differ across the age span. In particular, more policies (for example, dealer regulations and waiting periods) are negatively associated with firearm suicide rate among men 15 to 24 years of age. The findings underscore the importance of designing gender- and age-specific policy advocacy programs directed at lowering the rate of firearm suicide. This study also suggests that California, known for its innovative gun safety legislation efforts, could serve as a model for other states starting preventive programs to reduce the firearm suicide rate. Implications of the findings for social work practice are discussed. PubDate: Wed, 30 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/hsw/hlz028 Issue No:Vol. 44, No. 4 (2019)
Authors:Richardson M. Pages: 259 - 270 Abstract: AbstractSocial workers are uniquely situated to lead community-based efforts to reduce gun violence, which has been identified as a prevalent and pressing public health concern. The current literature, however, has not addressed the frameworks guiding community-based interventions for gun violence. In the present article, a systematic literature review examines frameworks used to support community-based interventions for gun violence and to evaluate their outcomes. The search found 13 articles—unique to gun violence interventions—organized by the frameworks shaping perceptions of gun violence and community-based research. The review assessed frameworks based on their relationship to intervention stage and study outcomes. Findings suggest that these community-based gun violence interventions are shaped by systems, public health, and community mobilization frameworks. The article discusses frameworks found to be associated with successful community-based interventions and explains how the findings are relevant to future social work practice and research. PubDate: Wed, 30 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/hsw/hlz026 Issue No:Vol. 44, No. 4 (2019)
Authors:Brown M; Barthelemy J. Pages: 271 - 275 Abstract: Bauchner et al. (2017) reported that “since 1968, more individuals in the United States have died from gun violence than in battle during all the wars the country has fought since its inception” (p. 1763). Due to the ease of accessibility to firearms in the United States and the ever-increasing death toll, gun violence and its impact on communities in the United States remains a major public health crisis (Cox, 2018). Few communities are affected more than urban communities of color. Exacerbating this crisis is the use of deadly force on black male individuals during encounters with law enforcement officers. Yet there remains a dearth of literature on officer-involved shootings and the health implications for communities of color (Crichlow & Fulcher, 2017). PubDate: Thu, 17 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/hsw/hlz027 Issue No:Vol. 44, No. 4 (2019)
Authors:Kaplan M; Mueller-Williams A. Pages: 276 - 279 Abstract: According to the Institute of Medicine (2013) (National Academy of Medicine, as of 2015), firearm suicides significantly outnumber firearm homicides for most age groups, accounting for approximately two-thirds of all firearm injury fatalities in the United States. Research indicates that the suicide method that is most available and socially acceptable will be used most often (Barber & Miller, 2014; Houtsma, Butterworth, & Anestis, 2018). Firearms were involved in fewer than half of the suicides reported by high- and upper-middle-income countries, except for the United States (Grinshteyn & Hemenway, 2016). In 2017, of the 47,214 suicides in the United States, 51 percent involved the use of a firearm (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics [CDC, NCHS], 2018), making firearm suicide a major public health problem in the United States. This Viewpoint addresses the important relationship between lax firearm laws, firearm availability, and suicide by firearm. It also describes often missed population-wide opportunities for reducing the burden of firearm suicide. PubDate: Fri, 25 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/hsw/hlz029 Issue No:Vol. 44, No. 4 (2019)
Pages: 280 - 284 Abstract: The following abbreviations are used: Feb. for February, Aug. for August, E for Editorial, NHL for National Health Line, PF for Practice Forum, and V for Viewpoint. PubDate: Thu, 14 Nov 2019 00:00:00 GMT DOI: 10.1093/hsw/hlz031 Issue No:Vol. 44, No. 4 (2019)