Honor Endorsement and Increased Firearm Purchasing Behavior and Intentions During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Autor: Bock JE; Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA., Daruwala SE; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA., Tucker RP; Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA., Foster SD; Department of Psychology, Penn State York, York, PA, USA., Bandel SL; Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.; New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center, New Brunswick, NJ, USA., Gunn JF 3rd; New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.; School of Public Health - Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA., Anestis MD; New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.; Department of Urban-Global Public Health, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Psychological reports [Psychol Rep] 2024 May 27, pp. 332941241255323. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 May 27.
DOI: 10.1177/00332941241255323
Abstrakt: The surge in firearm sales from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic have been linked to increases in firearm violence, which is of public concern given that having firearms in one's home is associated with increased risk for domestic violence and suicide. Consistent with pre-pandemic trends, individuals tended to purchase firearms for self-protection during COVID-19. Prior work indicates that protective firearm ownership is motivated not only by perceptions that the world (and one's local environment) is dangerous, but also by one's endorsement of masculinity norms found in U.S. cultures of honor (primarily southern and western states). Honor-based masculinity norms emphasis reputation defense, toughness, and an absolute intolerance of disrespect. The present research examined the relative motivating influences of various threat perceptions and masculine honor endorsement in predicting reasons for non-COVID-19 firearm ownership, firearm purchasing during COVID-19, and purchase intentions. Three separate samples (total N = 2483) of mostly White U.S. men completed online surveys during different months of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants completed measures of their endorsement of masculine honor norms, factors associated with firearm purchasing (e.g., dangerous world beliefs, intolerance of uncertainty), and firearm purchasing behaviors. Results indicated that masculine honor endorsement was higher among (1) protective firearm owners compared to non-owners and non-protective owners, (2) firearm owners who purchased a firearm during COVID-19 compared to non-owners and non-purchasing owners, and (3) firearm owners with intentions to purchase firearms in the next year compared to those without intentions and undecided owners. Relative to other predictors (e.g., COVID-19 concerns, dangerous world beliefs), masculine honor endorsement was consistently the strongest predictor of these outcomes. Findings add to the literature by highlighting the strength of masculine honor endorsement in motivating (protective) firearm ownership. Implications for interpersonal violence and suicide are discussed.
Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Michael D. Anestis receives personal income from book royalties, speaking fees, and consulting on firearms and suicide.
Databáze: MEDLINE
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