# Perspectives of Female Veterans, VHA Providers, and Family Members on Preventing Firearm-Inflicted Suicides among Female Veterans > **NIH VA I21** · VA EASTERN COLORADO HEALTH CARE SYSTEM · 2024 · — ## Abstract BACKGROUND: In 2017, the age-adjusted suicide rate for female Veterans was 2.2 times that of female non- Veterans. This may relate to a substantial increase in the proportion of female Veterans using firearms as their means of death, particularly among women using Veterans Health Administration (VHA) care. Firearms are now the leading means of suicide among female Veterans. Lethal means safety (LMS; i.e., reducing access to lethal means when suicide risk is elevated) is a highly-recommended suicide prevention strategy. Yet prior firearm LMS research has primarily focused on male Veterans, despite female Veterans idiographically differing in their firearm access, ownership, and use. Data suggest that female Veterans more often obtain firearms and store them loaded and nearby to increase safety following interpersonal violence (e.g., sexual assault, intimate partner violence). Given high rates of interpersonal violence among female Veterans, it is critical to ensure firearm LMS efforts are tailored and delivered to female Veterans from a trauma-focused lens. Further, nearly 40% of female Veterans report having household firearms that they do not personally own, which often occurs through spouses or partners. Thus, including family members in firearm LMS efforts may be particularly important for female Veterans. Prior research also suggests that Veterans rarely initiate firearm discussions with their VHA providers, who seldomly assess firearm access, despite its association with suicide risk. Thus, a multi-systemic perspective that encompasses the perspectives of female Veterans, their spouses or partners, and VHA providers is essential. SIGNIFICANCE/IMPACT: Effective suicide prevention necessitates a well-informed, patient-centered approach. Yet firearm knowledge specific to female Veterans remains limited and has largely relied upon extrapolating data from male Veterans. By understanding the experiences and perspectives of female Veterans, their spouses/partners, and VHA providers, findings will inform development of gender-sensitive conceptual understanding and interventions for approaching firearm LMS in this population. Findings can be used to delineate a tailored firearm LMS intervention for female Veterans that can subsequently be piloted for acceptability, feasibility, and ultimately efficacy. INNOVATION: This study is innovative in its focus on understanding the inherent needs and preferences of female Veterans, rather than extrapolating findings from male Veterans. It will be the first to interview female Veterans, spouses and partners, and VHA providers regarding experiences and preferences for firearm LMS. This is highly innovative as spouses and partners have rarely been included in Veteran suicide prevention research, despite increasing the likelihood of female Veterans’ firearm access. Findings are expected to result in knowledge essential for developing a gender-specific conceptualization and intervention for addressing firearm LMS w... ## Key facts - **NIH application ID:** 10070308 - **Project number:** 1I21HX003074-01A1 - **Recipient organization:** VA EASTERN COLORADO HEALTH CARE SYSTEM - **Principal Investigator:** Lindsey Lih Monteith - **Activity code:** I21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.) - **Funding institute:** VA - **Fiscal year:** 2024 - **Award amount:** — - **Award type:** 1 - **Project period:** 2020-12-01 → 2022-05-31 ## Primary source NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10070308 ## Citation > US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10070308, Perspectives of Female Veterans, VHA Providers, and Family Members on Preventing Firearm-Inflicted Suicides among Female Veterans (1I21HX003074-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10070308. Licensed CC0. --- *[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*