Firearm-related threat exposure and associated factors among men and women entering a supportive housing substance use disorder recovery program

ABSTRACT

Background: Exposure to firearm victimization has often been overlooked as a sequela of substance use disorders (SUD).

Objectives: The overall objective of this study was to explore firearm-related victimization and associated factors among men and women entering a supportive housing SUD recovery program.

Methods: This study used program intake information from men (n = 1,758) and women (n = 1,066) clients entering a SUD recovery program.

Results: Results found that almost half (49.3%) of the clients entering the program had ever been threatened with a firearm or held at gunpoint, and one-quarter of those clients had experienced firearm-related threats in the 6 months before entering the program. Economic vulnerability, mental health problems, polysubstance use, interpersonal victimization, and early use of drugs and alcohol were associated with firearm-related threat exposure. Many of the factors associated with firearm-related threat exposure were similar for men and women. Multivariate results found that polysubstance use (OR 1.16 men and 1.13 women), number of adverse childhood events (OR 1.13 men and 1.09 women), and interpersonal victimization (OR 3.41 men and 2.05 women) in the 6 months before program entry were significantly associated with ever being threatened with a firearm. Suicidality (OR 1.53 men and 1.80 women) and interpersonal victimization (OR 6.38 men and 6.08 women) were associated with being threatened with a firearm in the 6 months before program entry for both men and women.

Conclusion: Results suggest there is a need for firearm-related risk reduction interventions for individuals in SUD recovery programs.

KEYWORDS:

• Gun violence
• substance abuse treatment
• firearm-related risks
• recovery

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Individuals who were incarcerated for at least 5 of the 6 months before program entry would not have had opportunities to use substances, be employed, homeless, or be able to report on difficulty paying for their basic living needs (which were some of the variables of interest), therefore, these cases were excluded from the analysis.

Additional information

Funding

The data collection for this study was supported by the Kentucky Housing Corporation, an agency of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.