Making the case: Gun violence as an Adverse Childhood Experience
Abstract
In 2021, Guns Down Mechanicsville sought to determine exposure to and perpetration of violence, including exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and gun violence, among the residents of Atlanta, Georgia’s Mechanicsville Neighborhood, a community with elevated levels of gun-related violence. Using a web-based survey shared during community events, on social media, and via the organization’s website and email distribution lists, Guns Down Mechanicsville received 45 completed surveys from and interviewed three current or former neighborhood residents. Sixty percent of respondents were between 24 and 44, 78% were black. About 42% earned less than $25,000 annually, 40% had only a high school diploma or GED, 27% were uninsured, and 22% were Medicaid recipients. Thirty-one percent of respondents experienced four or more ACEs,60% were exposed to some form of violence while living in Mechanicsville, 67% have been or know someone who has been threatened with a gun, and 2% admitted to shooting someone. Over 60% of respondents who perpetrated any form of violence also had experienced four or more ACEs. The correlation between ACEs and race and violence perpetration is not new; however, the concentration of people with four or more ACEs who are exposed to gun violence, uninsured, and live in poverty and affordable housing in one small neighborhood (0.64 square miles) exacerbates the gun violence endemic. In the literature, gun violence is often associated with ACEs; however, it is not an independent ACE. The survey data suggests that gun violence could stand alone as an independent ACE. This session will expose participants to culturally appropriate opportunities for disrupting the pathway between ACEs exposure and gun violence perpetration.
Keywords
Violence, crime, gun violence, adverse childhood experiences, poverty, mental health.
Conflict of Interest Form
I understand that if my abstract is selected and I agree to present that I must register for the conference and pay the registration fee to attend at least the day of the conference that I present. This includes all Learning Methods except invited Key Note Speakers.
Making the case: Gun violence as an Adverse Childhood Experience
In 2021, Guns Down Mechanicsville sought to determine exposure to and perpetration of violence, including exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and gun violence, among the residents of Atlanta, Georgia’s Mechanicsville Neighborhood, a community with elevated levels of gun-related violence. Using a web-based survey shared during community events, on social media, and via the organization’s website and email distribution lists, Guns Down Mechanicsville received 45 completed surveys from and interviewed three current or former neighborhood residents. Sixty percent of respondents were between 24 and 44, 78% were black. About 42% earned less than $25,000 annually, 40% had only a high school diploma or GED, 27% were uninsured, and 22% were Medicaid recipients. Thirty-one percent of respondents experienced four or more ACEs,60% were exposed to some form of violence while living in Mechanicsville, 67% have been or know someone who has been threatened with a gun, and 2% admitted to shooting someone. Over 60% of respondents who perpetrated any form of violence also had experienced four or more ACEs. The correlation between ACEs and race and violence perpetration is not new; however, the concentration of people with four or more ACEs who are exposed to gun violence, uninsured, and live in poverty and affordable housing in one small neighborhood (0.64 square miles) exacerbates the gun violence endemic. In the literature, gun violence is often associated with ACEs; however, it is not an independent ACE. The survey data suggests that gun violence could stand alone as an independent ACE. This session will expose participants to culturally appropriate opportunities for disrupting the pathway between ACEs exposure and gun violence perpetration.
