CE25-029 - A comprehensive strain-based approach to examine intimate partner violence-related firearm homicides of children as corollary victims

PROJECT SUMMARY Efforts to prevent firearm homicide of children in the context of parental intimate partner violence (IPV) remain limited. One in four U.S. children ages 0-17 is exposed to parental IPV, and their risk of death increases when firearms are present at home. Prior studies often fail to distinguish children who are corollary homicide victims as a specific group and have created a gap in addressing lethal risks. This K01 project aims to address this gap by examining the underlying causes and determining child lethality risk assessment items for potential intervention points to reduce IPV-related firearm child deaths. Guided by the General Strain Theory with the CDC’s four-level social-ecological model, this approach aims to highlight the strain and stressors that high-risk families face in their communities. Aim 1 will identify contextual typologies and investigate whether these corollary child victims are a category with distinct subgroups, which aligns with the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) research priorities on firearm-related deaths among children and youth and the identification and measurement of contextual typologies of adult IPV. Aim 2 aligns with the NCIPC’s research priority to examine the relationship-level and community-level risk factors for adult IPV based on the geographical distribution of IPV-related firearm homicides of children in two states. Aim 3 will create measurable items to predict children’s lethal risk in addition to the existing risk assessments for IPV adult survivors. Research outcomes will identify child-specific firearm-related risk factors that can be applied to clinical and practice settings to reduce homicide and violence. The Career Development Plan includes strategic objectives: 1) develop expertise in child-specific firearm-related IPV risk factors of homicides; 2) gain mastery of advanced techniques to analyze homicide data; 3) apply social ecology to firearm violence prevention. The strong mentoring team includes primary mentor Dr. Jill Messing, Professor and Director of Gender-Based Violence at the School of Social Work at Arizona State University. Co-mentors are Dr. Jacquelyn Campbell, Professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, and Dr. Lynn Addington, Professor at the Department of Justice, Law & Criminology at American University. Training activities include hands-on data analysis lessons with Dr. Messing, online and face-to-face courses in advanced statistics and firearm prevention, and conferences and workshops hosted by the Homicide Research Working Group and the Research Society for the Prevention of Firearm Harms. Research results will be disseminated through at least three conference presentations and three first-authored manuscripts, as well as the submission of an R21 and R01, or equivalent, grant proposal. The findings will be available to advocates and practitioners by developing and disseminating research briefs with actionable recommendations to healthcare providers and state stakeholders. Overall, the successful completion of this K01 project will lead to longer-term goals of crosscutting violence prevention for a vulnerable population and a sustainable, independent research career.