Parent-Reported Firearm Storage Poor Estimator of Teen Perceived Access
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, June 16, 2025 -- Parent-reported firearm storage seems to be a poor estimator of teen perceived firearm access, according to a study published online June 10 in JAMA Network Open.
Katherine G. Hastings, M.P.H., from the University of British Columbia in Canada, and colleagues examined the associations between parent-reported household firearm storage behaviors and teen perceived access to firearms in a cross-sectional study using national survey data of U.S. firearm-owning parents and their teens aged 14 to 18 years. A total of 487 parent-teen dyad respondents were included in the analyses.
The researchers found that all four unsecured firearm storage behaviors (unlocked; loaded; unlocked and loaded; and unlocked or loaded) were associated with greater teen perceived firearm access (odds ratios, 1.27 to 1.44); after restricting to those who stored at least one firearm unsecured, the associations disappeared. The best performance for estimating teen perceived access to firearms in U.S. households was seen for the number of firearms stored unlocked (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 65.7), regardless of teen gender, parental education, r urbanicity. Universally low sensitivity was seen for this measure (range, 42 to 64 percent). In households where all firearms were stored locked and unloaded, 36.3 percent of teens reported access to a firearm.
"Strictly focusing safety efforts on secure firearm storage may be insufficient to keep teens from accessing firearms unsupervised by adults or parents," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted June 2025
Read this next
CT Colonography Cost-Effective, Clinically Effective for CRC Screening
MONDAY, June 16, 2025 -- Computed tomography colonography (CTC) is cost-effective and clinically effective for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, according to a study published...
Global Incidence Rate of Rheumatoid Arthritis Increased From 1990 to 2021
MONDAY, June 16, 2025 -- The incidence rate of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) increased globally from 1990 to 2021, with the heaviest burden born by regions with a high...
AAP Updates Recommendations for Adolescent Contraceptive Counseling
MONDAY, June 16, 2025 -- In a policy statement issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics and published online June 16 in Pediatrics, updated recommendations are presented for...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.