@article{ref1,
title="Perceptions of firearms in a cohort of women exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) in Central Pennsylvania",
journal="BMC women's health",
year="2021",
author="McCall-Hosenfeld, Jennifer and Lehman, Erik and Leuenberger, Laura",
volume="21",
number="1",
pages="e20-e20",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Almost one-half of U.S. women will experience intimate partner violence (IPV), defined as physical, sexual, or psychological harm by a current or former  partner. IPV is associated with an increased risk of homicide, with firearms as the  most commonly used weapon. We designed this study to better understand the  correlation of interpersonal trauma exposures and demographic factors on firearm  perceptions among a cohort of IPV-exposed women. <br><br>METHODS: Two hundred sixty-seven  women in central Pennsylvania with exposure to IPV were surveyed about perceptions  of gun access, safety, and gun presence in the home. Trauma variables included IPV  type, IPV recency, unwanted sexual exposure, and adverse childhood experiences  (ACEs). Multivariable analyses examined three questions examining firearm  perceptions controlling for trauma exposures and demographics. <br><br>RESULTS: Ease of  firearm acquisition: Women who were older (mean 44.92 years +/- SD 12.05), compared  to women who were younger (40.91 +/- SD 11.81 years) were more likely to describe it  as easy or very easy to acquire a gun (aOR 1.05, 95%CI 1.004, 1.10). Perceived  safety in the proximity of a gun: Women with the highest ACE score were less likely  to feel safe with a gun nearby (aOR 0.31, 95%CI 0.14, 0.67). Odds of guns in the  home: Women who were divorced or separated (aOR 0.22, 95%CI 0.09, 0.54), women were  widowed or single (aOR0.23, 95%CI 0.08, 0.67), and women who were partnered (aOR  0.45 95%CI 0.20, 0.97) had lower odds of having a gun in the home, compared to  married women. There was no significant effect of the trauma variables on the odds  of having a gun at home. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Women with more severe childhood trauma felt  less safe around firearms, but trauma exposures did not predict the perception of  gun prevalence in the local community or gun ownership. Instead, demographic factors  of marriage predicted presence of a gun in the home.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1472-6874",
doi="10.1186/s12905-020-01134-y",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12905-020-01134-y"
}