Child survivors of gun violence are not merely defined by their resilience; they are stark reminders of the trauma that persists long after the initial incident.
While they have survived where others tragically did not, the aftermath of gun violence often casts a shadow over their lives.
Recent research, which analyzed over 2,000 insurance claims from employer-sponsored plans covering survivors under 19 and their families from 2007 to 2021, paints a sobering picture of the enduring health and economic burdens they face.
According to Zirui Song from Harvard Medical School, the study reveals “massive health crises” that unfold over time.
Youth who survived firearm injuries experienced striking increases in health disorders compared to their peers who had not encountered gun violence.
Specifically, they saw a 144% rise in substance use disorders, a 117% increase in pain disorders, and a 68% increase in psychiatric disorders in the year following the incident, as reported in Health Affairs.
The statistics are even more alarming for survivors who required intensive care.
Among these individuals, there was a staggering 321% increase in psychiatric disorders and a 293% increase in pain disorders during the year following their injury.
Healthcare costs for all survivors skyrocketed to 17 times higher than before their injuries.
The impact extends beyond the survivors themselves to their families.
Parents of these survivors experienced a 30% increase in psychiatric disorders in the year following their child’s injury, while mothers specifically saw a 75% rise in mental health visits.
In cases where a child did not survive, fathers experienced over five times the increase in psychiatric disorders compared to controls, mothers nearly four times, and siblings twice as much.
“This study underscores the profound ripple effects of our nation’s gun violence crisis, effects that extend far beyond the lives lost that often dominate headlines,” remarked Megan Ranney, Dean of the Yale School of Public Health and an emergency physician.
She emphasized the study’s significance in highlighting that “we are a nation of survivors” and that the impact of gun violence is widespread.
Indeed, as Song, a general internist and associate professor at Harvard Medical School, notes, the study likely underestimates the true scope of these effects.
It excludes victims covered by federal- or state-funded insurance and those without any insurance coverage.
This research underscores the urgent need for comprehensive strategies to address not just the immediate aftermath of gun violence, but also the long-term health and economic repercussions faced by survivors and their families.
