Firearm suicides are increasing among older women at an alarming rate, underscoring the need for increased mental health support for older populations, researchers say.

Firearms were involved in nearly 40% of suicides among older women from 2014-2023, up from 34.9 % in 2014. Women represent nearly half of all new gun owners in the United States; as female gun ownership surges across many states, these findings highlight a need to better understand the immediate and long-term consequences of firearm suicides among older women, as well as develop tailored interventions to mitigate firearm suicides among all older adults, the study authors suggested.

The researchers analyzed firearm suicide data among older adults and calculated the ratio of firearm suicides to all suicides, by sex and by state, for each year between 2014 and 2023. More than 90% of the 63,599 individuals ages 65 and older who died by firearm suicide in the US during this decade were men.

For older women, the proportion of firearm suicides to all suicides increased by approximately five percentage points, to 38.5%, reversing a steady decline that had begun in 1991. Even though older men had substantially higher firearm suicide rates than older women, the rates among older men remained relatively stable throughout the study period.

Firearm suicide is the leading method of suicide for adults 65 and older, and as the population of older Americans continues to increase, rates may remain high without proper interventions to reverse these trends, according to senior author Mark Kaplan, DrPH, of the University of California, Los Angeles. "A combination of physical, mental, and social factors may influence gun ownership and suicidal ideation among this age group, such as chronic illness and pain, depression, stress, loneliness, financial concerns, and greater access to guns, among other reasons.”

Policies and programs that address the disproportionate rates of depression and other mental health conditions among this population should remain a public health priority, the researchers said. “Healthcare providers should engage older patients experiencing depression or suicidal thoughts by inquiring about their access to firearms,” said Kaplan. “Open discussions regarding firearm safety can be a crucial step in ensuring their well-being.”

To download the study, published in JAMA Network Open, click here