{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]],"date-time":"2026-09-18T18:05:32Z","timestamp":1789754732922,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"BMJ","content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Inj Prev"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,8]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Military veterans are a population that is disproportionately exposed to loneliness and firearm suicide in the USA. While some studies have begun to identify loneliness as a psychological factor related to unsecured firearm storage (ie, storing firearms loaded and\/or unlocked) among the general population, little is known about how loneliness may relate to firearm storage practices among veterans.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Data were from firearm-owning veterans who participated in the 2025 wave of the National Veteran Homeless and Other Poverty Experiences study, a national survey of veterans living in households with incomes below 300% of the federal poverty level in the USA (n=626). Covariate-adjusted multiple logistic regression models were estimated to examine the relationship between self-reported loneliness and secure firearm storage.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Overall, 47.4% of respondents reported always storing firearms locked and unloaded when not in use. A one-point increase in the University of California, Los Angeles 3-item Loneliness Scale (range 0\u20136) was associated with a lower likelihood of reporting secure firearm storage (aOR=0.862, 95% CI (0.767 to 0.969)). Supplemental analyses indicated that feelings of social isolation were particularly associated with lower odds of secure firearm storage.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Among low-income US military veterans, loneliness was associated with a lower likelihood of storing firearms locked and unloaded. Interventions that promote both social connectedness and secure firearm storage may help improve safety and reduce suicide risk among veterans.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/ip-2026-046238","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]],"date-time":"2026-09-18T17:20:55Z","timestamp":1789752055000},"page":"ip-2026-046238","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Loneliness and secure firearm storage: findings from a national sample of low-income US military veterans"],"prefix":"10.1136","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8686-9115","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alexander","family":"Testa","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Management, Policy and Community Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Luis","family":"Mijares","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Management, Policy and Community Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0329-648X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jack","family":"Tsai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Management, Policy and Community Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA"},{"name":"VA National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans, Washington, DC, District of Columbia, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"82","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jad.2024.01.179","article-title":"Firearm storage practices among military veterans in the United States: Findings from a nationally representative survey","volume":"351","author":"Nichter","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Affect Disord"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.2","unstructured":"United States Department of Veterans Affairs . 2025 national veteran suicide prevention annual report. 2026."},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1001\/jamanetworkopen.2019.5383","article-title":"Association of Firearm Ownership, Use, Accessibility, and Storage Practices With Suicide Risk Among US Army Soldiers","volume":"2","author":"Dempsey","year":"2019","journal-title":"JAMA Netw Open"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.4","unstructured":"U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs . 2024 national veteran suicide prevention annual report. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; 2024. Available: https:\/\/www.mentalhealth.va.gov\/docs\/data-sheets\/2023\/2023-National-Veteran-Suicide-Prevention-Annual-Report-FINAL-508.pdf [accessed 29 Jun 2024]"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.amepre.2018.04.014"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.socscimed.2019.03.001"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.7","unstructured":"Office of the Surgeon General . Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation: the U.S. Surgeon general\u2019s advisory on the healing effects of social connection and community. United States Department of Health and Human Services; 2023."},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"546","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jpsychires.2022.05.042","article-title":"Loneliness in U.S. military veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic: A nationally representative, prospective cohort study","volume":"151","author":"Na","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Psychiatr Res"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"297","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jagp.2021.07.006","article-title":"Behavioral Epidemic of Loneliness in Older U.S. Military Veterans: Results From the 2019-2020 National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study","volume":"30","author":"Straus","year":"2022","journal-title":"Am J Geriatr Psychiatry"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"600","DOI":"10.1093\/occmed\/kqy160","article-title":"Loneliness and social isolation of military veterans: systematic narrative review","volume":"68","author":"Wilson","year":"2018","journal-title":"Occup Med"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"170","DOI":"10.1080\/13651501.2025.2523291","article-title":"Loneliness and suicidal behaviour in military veterans","volume":"29","author":"Sher","year":"2025","journal-title":"Int J Psychiatry Clin Pract"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"42","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jad.2018.01.003","article-title":"Loneliness is closely associated with depression outcomes and suicidal ideation among military veterans in primary care","volume":"230","author":"Teo","year":"2018","journal-title":"J Affect Disord"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"303","DOI":"10.1111\/sltb.12822","article-title":"Risk factors for suicide attempts among U.S. military veterans: A 7-year population-based, longitudinal cohort study","volume":"52","author":"Nichter","year":"2022","journal-title":"Suicide Life Threat Behav"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"85","DOI":"10.1080\/08995605.2024.2307669","article-title":"Loneliness partially mediates the relation between substance use and suicidality in Veterans","volume":"37","author":"Schafer","year":"2025","journal-title":"Mil Psychol"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-clinpsy-032816-045159"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1037\/a0018697"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"114","DOI":"10.1521\/ijct.2015.8.2.114","article-title":"The Three-Step Theory (3ST): A New Theory of Suicide Rooted in the \u201cIdeation-to-Action\u201d Framework","volume":"8","author":"Klonsky","year":"2015","journal-title":"Int J Cogn Ther"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1098\/rstb.2017.0268"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1001\/jamanetworkopen.2019.9160","article-title":"Firearm Availability and Storage Practices Among Military Personnel Who Have Thought About Suicide","volume":"2","author":"Bryan","year":"2019","journal-title":"JAMA Netw Open"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"113277","DOI":"10.1016\/j.psychres.2020.113277","article-title":"Suicide risk and firearm ownership and storage behavior in a large military sample","volume":"291","author":"Anestis","year":"2020","journal-title":"Psychiatry Res"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/ip-2024-045468"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/ip-2023-045154"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1001\/jamanetworkopen.2025.13280","article-title":"Social Drivers of Health and Firearm Storage Practices","volume":"8","author":"Parekh","year":"2025","journal-title":"JAMA Netw Open"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Semenza DC , Warner TD , Francois S , et al . Salience of social support for firearm carrying and storage in the USA. Inj Prev 2025:ip-2025-045819. doi:10.1136\/ip-2025-045819","DOI":"10.1136\/ip-2025-045819"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.socscimed.2023.116356"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"181","DOI":"10.1016\/j.puhe.2022.10.017","article-title":"Prevalence of eviction, home foreclosure, and homelessness among low-income US veterans: the National Veteran Homeless and Other Poverty Experiences study","volume":"213","author":"Tsai","year":"2022","journal-title":"Public Health"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"107635","DOI":"10.1016\/j.amepre.2025.04.005","article-title":"Factors Associated With Secure Firearm Storage Among U.S. Gun Owners","volume":"69","author":"Densley","year":"2025","journal-title":"Am J Prev Med"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0164027504268574"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.29","unstructured":"Allison P . When can you safely ignore multicollinearity? Statistical Horizons; 2012. Available: https:\/\/statisticalhorizons.com\/multicollinearity\/ [Accessed 06 Oct 2022]."},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"135","DOI":"10.1037\/ser0000178","article-title":"Using peer support groups to enhance community integration of veterans in transition","volume":"15","author":"Drebing","year":"2018","journal-title":"Psychol Serv"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1757913920967040"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"306","DOI":"10.1097\/NMD.0000000000001132","article-title":"Association Between Technology Use and Social Integration Among Veterans With Disabilities","volume":"208","author":"Stacy","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Nerv Ment Dis"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1001\/jamanetworkopen.2022.35984","article-title":"Evaluation of Safe Firearm Storage Messaging in a Sample of Firearm-Owning US Military Service Members","volume":"5","author":"Anestis","year":"2022","journal-title":"JAMA Netw Open"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1492","DOI":"10.1007\/s11606-020-06412-x","article-title":"Strategies for Discussing Firearms Storage Safety in Primary Care: Veteran Perspectives","volume":"36","author":"Dobscha","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Gen Intern Med"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1042","DOI":"10.1177\/08901171251330708","article-title":"Examining the Association of Economic Instability and Firearm Storage Behaviors","volume":"39","author":"Conrick","year":"2025","journal-title":"Am J Health Promot"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1186\/s40621-024-00549-7","article-title":"Material hardship and secure firearm storage: findings from the 2022 behavioral risk factor Surveillance System","volume":"11","author":"Testa","year":"2024","journal-title":"Inj Epidemiol"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"583","DOI":"10.1080\/07317115.2023.2285994","article-title":"Older Adults\u2019 Preferences Regarding Firearm Locking Device Use: Results of a National Survey","volume":"47","author":"Villarreal","year":"2024","journal-title":"Clin Gerontol"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"187","DOI":"10.1111\/jrh.12535","article-title":"Differences in Loneliness Across the Rural-Urban Continuum Among Adults Living in Washington State","volume":"38","author":"Abshire","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Rural Health"},{"key":"2026091810203303000_ip-2026-046238v1.39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1186\/s40621-025-00587-9","article-title":"Firearm safe storage practices among firearm owners in rural and urban households","volume":"12","author":"Lu","year":"2025","journal-title":"Inj Epidemiol"}],"container-title":["Injury Prevention"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/syndication.highwire.org\/content\/doi\/10.1136\/ip-2026-046238","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]],"date-time":"2026-09-18T17:21:00Z","timestamp":1789752060000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/injuryprevention.bmj.com\/lookup\/doi\/10.1136\/ip-2026-046238"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]]},"references-count":39,"alternative-id":["10.1136\/ip-2026-046238"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/ip-2026-046238","relation":{},"ISSN":["1353-8047","1475-5785"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1353-8047","type":"print"},{"value":"1475-5785","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]]}}}