Family experiences, attitudes, and household safety practices regarding firearms.
To assess families' experiences with shootings and firearm ownership and attitudes, 208 children aged 5 to 12 years were interviewed and 242 parents filled out a questionnaire, all at an urban hospital. Forty-three percent of the parents and 25% of the children had personal knowledge of shootings. Of the parents, 10% owned guns, of which only 21% were stored safely. Gun ownership was more common in homes with resident adult males (14%) than in those with no adult males (3%). Most children (81%) played with guns, and 20% to 25% preferred violent TV shows, games, and toys. Parents' and children's attitudes toward firearms and children's gun play did not differ by level of mother's education; method of payment for, or site of, health care; income; or exposure to shootings. Children with personal knowledge of shootings more often expressed fears of being shot than did other children (52% vs 31%). The children in our study population were similar in their gun play and attitudes about gun use despite disparate socioeconomic backgrounds and exposure to shootings.
Wiley
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Division of General Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104.
Casey
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D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004522:Educational Status; D004651:Employment; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D005389:Firearms / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D008423:Maternal Age; D009035:Mothers / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D010067:Ownership; D015143:Philadelphia; D010988:Play and Playthings; D011446:Prospective Studies; D044469:Racial Groups; D012449:Safety; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013690:Television; D014505:Urban Population; D014754:Violence