Adult Help Seeking Behaviors Following Firearm-Related IPV and Threats to a Child: Results of a National Survey

Purpose: In addition to firearm-related intimate partner homicides, approximately 4.5 million adults in the US are threatened or harmed with a firearm by their intimate partner. It is unknown how many children are exposed to firearm-related IPV specifically, but an estimated 8–15 million children are exposed to parental IPV each year in the US. We sought to examine adult help-seeking behaviors when children are exposed or threatened in the context of firearm-related IPV. Methods: Adults with exposure to firearm-related IPV were surveyed using an online, anonymous survey (66.1% eligible respondent completion rate) administered to the YouGov US residents survey panel. Results: We included 244 respondents who endorsed experiencing firearm-related IPV. In homes where children lived during the firearm-related IPV (n = 115), 21.2% (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 11.2–36.6%) of perpetrators harmed or threatened to harm the children with a firearm. Respondents who lived in those homes endorsed more help-seeking behaviors than respondents who lived without children or in homes where children were not threatened. Conclusion: The high prevalence of help-seeking behaviors reported by adults living with firearm-threatened children indicates both a need and an opportunity to support greater integration of services for IPV victims and children.