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Firearms play a critical role in the murder of intimate partner violence (IPV) victims and there is evidence that laws prohibiting protective order (PO) respondents from possessing a firearm reduce IPV fatalities. However, little research has compared specific abuse tactics involving firearms among victims who have and have not sought a PO against an abuser. This study investigates IPV victims' experiences with a range of firearm-related abuse tactics across victim race/ethnicity, in addition to the relationship between firearm IPV and PO requests, above and beyond IPV not involving firearms. Questionnaires were administered to 215 female victims recruited from six domestic violence shelters in Texas. Over one-half of victims who sought a PO were threatened to be shot by their abuser and victims who experienced high levels of firearm abuse incurred a 302% increase in the odds of requesting a PO. There were no significant differences between White, Black, and Hispanic victims regarding firearm IPV tactics. The results shed light on the magnitude of risk IPV victims can experience when seeking a PO against an abusive partner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abusive partner's access to a firearm is one of the strongest predictors of intimate partner homicide, and there is evidence that laws limiting abusers' access to firearms are associated with fewer fatalities. Yet, there is a movement to increase access to firearms as a strategy for self‐protection among intimate partner violence (IPV) victims. The present study describes both firearm‐related and non‐firearm‐related protective actions among victims of IPV, and further examines which factors (e.g., pro‐gun attitudes) are associated with engaging in firearm‐related protective actions. Questionnaires were administered to women recruited from six domestic violence shelters in Texas from December 2017 to September 2018. Nearly 13 percent of victims in the analytic sample (N = 197) engaged in one or more forms of firearm‐related protective actions in the past year. Multivariate analyses revealed that participants were more likely to have engaged in firearm‐related protective actions if they experienced higher firearm‐related IPV and if they held stronger pro‐gun attitudes. The results highlight the importance of basing firearm policy on empirical evidence as firearms can have deadly consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate the role of diverse forms of intimate partner violence (IPV) and firearms in the context of IPV in sleep disturbances., Design: A cross-sectional survey of domestic violence victims., Setting: Six domestic violence shelters (both urban and rural) in the state of Texas., Participants: Two hundred fifteen women recruited from domestic violence shelters., Methods: Seven items pertaining to sleep disturbances during the past 30 days were employed as dependent variables (in addition to a composite index). Measures of non-gun IPV (i.e., coercive control, physical abuse, and sexual abuse) as well as three forms of gun IPV (implicit threats, explicit threats, and gun-related abuse) were constructed. A dichotomous item assessing partner gun ownership was also employed. Ordinary least squares and Logistic regression models adjusting for covariates were estimated., Results: Independent of other forms of abuse, coercive control was associated with the sleep disturbances index and five of the seven individual sleep items. Ancillary analyses revealed that this association was party explained by post-traumatic stress disorder symptomatology. Moreover, while gun IPV and sleep disturbances were unrelated, partner gun ownership was associated with five of the seven sleep disturbance items., Conclusions: Coercive control appears to be central to the sleep health of IPV victims, and partner gun ownership may represent an additional risk factor for sleep disturbances beyond experiences of abuse. The consequences of abuse and firearms in the context of intimate partner abuse may extend beyond physical injury to other health outcomes including sleep disturbances., (Copyright © 2020 National Sleep Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)