PROJECT SUMMARY Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health problem that has damaging effects at the individual and societal levels. Major health disparities exist for rates of IPV across age, gender, and race or ethnicity. Women experience IPV at almost twice the rate of men, and Black women are disproportionately killed by intimate partners compared to most other racial groups. Homicide is the second leading cause of death for Black female youth between the ages of 15 and 24, with more than half of the deaths perpetrated by an intimate partner. The most common method used to kill intimate partners is firearms, and firearm access as well as threat with a firearm have been identified as key precursors to firearm-related IPV fatalities. Little to no research has examined patterns of firearm-related IPV or factors associated with firearm-related IPV involvement. The goal of the proposed project is to address the limitations of previous research by investigating patterns of nonfatal firearm-related IPV involvement among individuals at different stages of development and use a social-ecological framework to examine community, interpersonal, individual, and situational modifiable risk and protective factors that characterize patterns of firearm-related IPV victimization and perpetration. This goal aligns with NICHD’s research priority to effectively inform prevention strategies to address the leading causes of traumatic injury and death among children and adolescents. These goals will be addressed through secondary data analysis from two Federally funded projects, which provide data from local samples of 496 middle and 1,177 high school youth and a nationally representative sample of 1,674 adults. The specific aims are to 1) identify distinct patterns of firearm-related IPV victimization and perpetration within the broader context of IPV, and 2) examine the demographic characteristics and modifiable risk and protective factors that characterize IPV subgroup membership. I will test whether subgroup membership differs by age group, gender, and race/ethnicity in each sample. The identification of patterns of individuals who display patterns of firearm-related IPV and understanding how subgroups differ across stages of development will help to identify sensitive time periods when prevention strategies may have the greatest impact. This approach will also inform how firearm-related behaviors fit within the broader context of IPV as well as identify subgroups of individuals at the greatest risk of firearm-related IPV involvement. Lastly, the identification of modifiable risk and protective factors will inform prevention strategies by identifying targets for preventing firearm-related IPV. Moreover, the research and training outlined in this proposed application will equip me with the skills and support needed to pursue a successful career as a research scientist, including knowledge of relevant theoretical models and their application to...