Gun access, ownership, gun-related experiences, and substance use in young adults: a latent class analysis

Yu Lu · Jeff R. Temple

22 citations0/0 files storedThe American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse

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Gun Ownership and Violence Research Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes Crime Patterns and Interventions

Abstract

Background Substance use is found to associate with gun violence. However, mixed findings have been reported for gun access/ownership. To date, studies have examined gun access/ownership and gun-related experiences (e.g., carrying) separately despite the fact that gun-related experiences often occur among gun owners.Objectives This study identifies groups of young adults based on their gun access/ownership and gun-related experiences (i.e., gun carrying, threatened someone with a gun, been threatened with a gun) and assesses whether these groups differ on their use of alcohol, cigarettes, e-cigarettes, marijuana, hard drugs, and nonmedical use of prescription medication.Methods This study uses cross-sectional data from Wave 8 of the study Dating it Safe. Participants were 663 young adults (Mean age = 22 years; 62% female). Latent class analysis (LCA) was performed.Results LCA identified three classes: (1) Minimal Gun Access/Experience (65.0%), (2) Gun Access without Experience (33.4%), (3) Gun Access with Experience (1.6%). Individuals in the Gun Access with Experience class reported more frequent few past month alcohol (17 days vs. 7 and 8 days, p < .001), episodic heavy drinking (13 days vs. 2 and 3 days, p < .001) and cigarette use (21 days vs. 10 and 10 days, p < .001) compared to these in the Minimal Gun Access/Experience and Gun Access without Experience classes, respectively.Conclusions Individuals who have access to/own guns with and without gun-related experiences face different risks of substance use. Findings highlight the need to examine gun access/ownership based on actual gun experiences and further emphasize the importance of addressing substance abuse for gun violence prevention.

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References

2007Deciding on the Number of Classes in Latent Class Analysis and Growth Mixture Modeling: A Monte Carlo Simulation Study 2014Auxiliary Variables in Mixture Modeling: Three-Step Approaches Using M plus 2009Latent Class and Latent Transition Analysis: With Applications in the Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences 2017General Strain Theory: Current Status and Directions for Further Research 2012Substance Use as a Longitudinal Predictor of the Perpetration of Teen Dating Violence 2009Investigating the Link Between Gun Possession and Gun Assault 1999Weapon Carrying on School Property Among Middle School Students 2016Alcohol Use and Firearm Violence

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