# Patterns of firearm-related intimate partner violence across developmental stages: Risk and protective factors

> **NIH NIH F31** · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $48,974

## Abstract

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...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10994430
- **Project number:** 1F31HD116419-01
- **Recipient organization:** VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Laura Taylor Stevens
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $48,974
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-08-01 → 2026-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10994430

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10994430, Patterns of firearm-related intimate partner violence across developmental stages: Risk and protective factors (1F31HD116419-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10994430. Licensed CC0.

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