Date of Publication
1-29-2025
Abstract
Background: United States military veterans suffer a disproportionately high suicide rate compared to the general population. Firearms represented the majority of lethal means involved in successful suicide attempts in veterans from 2001 to 2022. Communication with firearm owning patients is often difficult with a prevalent distrust of providers during interviews. For the provider, lack of training can lead to hesitancy approaching the topic. Once provided training, providers self-report more confidence speaking to the topic. Methods: A survey and interview guideline were designed using data from a literature search focusing on veteran suicide and firearm owning cultural competency. Data collection was performed with community partners and a convenience sample of veterans, active military, and reservists. Raw data was coded for thematic similarities and trends in themes were analyzed for formal results. Results: 11 total valid responses were obtained. Physician questioning is preferred when there are concerns on safety at home. Veterans are generally in favor of lethal means safety discussions, emphasizing the need for safe and secure storage, especially when children are present in the household. Participants preferred nonconfrontational language that emphasizes firearms being discussed in the same tone as other lethal means like medications. Participants also prefer conversations with trusted providers who have knowledge of veteran culture and of firearms safety. Conclusion: Themes are supported by existing literature on the general population. Further studies should include a larger sample and focus on elucidating cultural touchpoints that firearm owning veterans would find relatable to create and disseminate lethal means safety resources.
Advisor(s)
Thomas Delaney, PhD
Larner College of Medicine
Chris Allen, LICSW
Vermont Department of Mental Health
Agency
Vermont Department of Mental Health
Subjects
Violence Prevention, Mental Health and Mental Disorders, Social and Community Context, Injury and Violence Prevention, Older Adults
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 License
Recommended Citation
Du, Joseph; Bennet, Shannon; Krause, Taylor; Rodriguez, Jaime; Montejo, Carlos; Zafaranian, Amir; Jowkar, Nick; and Britton, Sean, "Understanding Veterans’ Preferences for Firearm Safety Conversations: Developing Culturally Conscious Approaches to Suicide Prevention" (2025). Public Health Projects, 2008-present. 323.
https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/323
