In-home firearm access among US adolescents and the role of religious subculture: Results from a nationally representative study

Citation

Stroope, Samuel & Tom, Joshua C. (2017). In-home firearm access among US adolescents and the role of religious subculture: Results from a nationally representative study. Social Science Research. vol. 67 pp. 147-159

Abstract

Religious participation is linked to numerous positive safety outcomes for adolescents. Scant attention, however, has been paid to associations between religious participation and safety risks among adolescents. Using data from Add Health (N = 18,449), a nationally representative school-based sample of US adolescents, this study examines the relationship between adolescents' religious affiliation and easy access to firearms at home. Regression analyses adjust for complex sampling design and compare easy firearm access at home among conservative Protestant adolescents to adolescent firearm access in other religious traditions. Conservative Protestant adolescents have a substantially greater likelihood of easy access to a gun at home compared to adolescents of all other major religious traditions in the United States. Recognizing differences in adolescent firearm access between subcultural groups can help public health interventions more effectively identify and address the needs of vulnerable populations. The paper's conclusion considers suggestions for effective policy and programmatic initiatives.

URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2017.06.001

Reference Type

Journal Article

Journal Title

Social Science Research

Author(s)

Stroope, Samuel
Tom, Joshua C.

Year Published

2017

Volume Number

67

Pages

147-159

Edition

June 6, 2017

DOI

10.1016/j.ssresearch.2017.06.001

Reference ID

8199