Gun Violence Exposure and Functional Disability Among Black Men and Women in the United States
Author: Rutgers University
Published: 2024/05/21
Post type: Survey, Analysis – Peer Reviewed: Yeah
Content: Summary – Introduction – Major – Related
Synopsis: Exposure predicted elevated rates of disability in both sexes, but different types of exposure were more significantly connected to various disabilities in men and women. Men reported greater exposure to direct threats than women (30 percent vs. 15 percent) and to being shot, 4 percent vs. 2 percent. The survey shows that approximately 60 percent of all black adults in the United States have been exposed to gun violence and that 40 percent of them personally know a shooting victim, which is staggering.
Introduction
About 60 percent of all African Americans are exposed to some form of gun violence, and such exposure predicts high rates of disability, according to research from Rutgers Health.
Main summary
Data from a survey of 3,015 black Americans linked specific disabilities ranging from problems concentrating to difficulties dressing or bathing with exposure to various types of gun violence: being shot, being threatened with a firearm, meeting a victim of a gunshot and witnessing a shooting or hearing someone nearby. .
“Traditionally, most efforts related to gun violence have focused on reducing homicides, but this study indicates that we need to provide more support to those who face such exposures to violence beyond homicide,” said Daniel Semenza, associate professor from Rutgers. Center for Research on Armed Violence of the School of Public Health and lead author of the study.
More than 40 percent of respondents knew a shooting victim, while 12 percent of them reported at least three types of exposure, according to the study published in the journal Urban health magazine. Men reported greater exposure to direct threats than women (30 percent vs. 15 percent) and to being shot, 4 percent vs. 2 percent.
“These numbers are surprising because this is a nationally representative sample, compared to all black Americans as a whole by age, sex, income, education and area of residence,” said Semenza, whose co-authors included Nazsa Baker, postdoctoral fellow at Rutgers Gun Violence Research Center in New Jersey.
Semenza Added
“The survey shows that approximately 60 percent of all black adults in the US have been exposed to gun violence and that 40 percent of them personally know a shooting victim, which is staggering” .
Exposure predicted elevated rates of disability in both sexes, but different types of exposure were more significantly connected to various disabilities in men and women.
Men who witnessed or heard about shootings had a 53 percent higher rate of experiencing a functional disability than men who did not report exposure. They were also more than twice as likely to report problems concentrating, climbing stairs, getting dressed or bathing.
For women, being directly threatened was associated with a higher risk of disability. Women who reported firearm-related threats were 48 percent more likely to report a functional disability than other women, were 75 percent more likely to report difficulty concentrating, and were at least twice as likely to report difficulty walking. , climbing stairs or running errands.
Exposure to three or more types of gun violence predicted even higher rates of disability. Women who reported such exposure were almost six times more likely than women without exposure to report difficulties running errands.
“This type of survey-based study cannot prove causality, but it suggests that exposure to gun violence could shape functional disability and everyday well-being through mental trauma, even when it does not directly incapacitate people through a physical injury,” Semenza said. “We need to continue efforts to reduce gun violence, but we also need to ensure that when gun violence occurs, there are resources available that affected people can turn to to help manage the trauma that exposure creates.”
Resources that provide contextual information
Attribution/Source(s):
This peer-reviewed publication titled Gun violence affects nearly 60% of African Americans and predicts disability was chosen for publication by the editors of Disabled World due to its relevance to the disability community. While content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity, it was originally written by Rutgers University and published on 05/21/2024. For more details or clarifications, you can contact Rutgers University directly at rutgers.edu Disabled World makes no warranty or endorsement related to this article.
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Cite this page (APA): Rutgers University. (2024, May 21). Gun violence affects nearly 60% of African Americans and predicts disability. Disabled world. Retrieved May 22, 2024 from www.disabled-world.com/news/america/gun-disability.php
Permanent link: Gun violence affects nearly 60% of African Americans and predicts disability: Exposure predicted elevated rates of disability in both sexes, but different types of exposure were more significantly connected to various disabilities in men and women.
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