At family practice clinics in rural Alabama, over 400 parents were separated from their
children, and both were asked questions about guns in the home.
Major findings: Over 1/3 of parents who reported that their son had
not handled a household gun were contradicted by the child.
Publication: Baxley, Frances; Miller, Matthew. “Parental Misperceptions about
their Children and Firearms” Annals of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.
2006; 160:542-47.
54. Public misperceptions about whether means matter
for suicide.
Over 2,700 respondents to a
national random-digit-dial telephone survey were asked to estimate how many of
the more than 1,000 people who had jumped from the Golden Gate Bridge would have gone on to commit suicide some other way if an effective
suicide barrier had been installed.
Major findings: Over 1/3 of respondents estimated that none of the
suicides could have been prevented.
Respondents most likely to believe that no one could have been saved
were cigarette smokers and gun owners.
Publication: Miller, Matthew; Azrael, Deborah; Hemenway, David.
“Belief in the Inevitability of Suicide: Results from a National Survey.” Suicide
and Life Threatening Behavior. 2006; 36:1-11.