A new University of Iowa study found a sustained increase in the proportion of pediatric homicides committed with firearms in the U.S, reaching an all-time high in recent years.
The open access study, published in Injury Epidemiology, is titled “Perpetrator characteristics and firearm use in pediatric homicides: Supplementary Homicide Reports – United States, 1976 to 2020.” Mark Berg, professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology and director of the UI Center for Social Science Innovation (CSSI), co-authored the publication along with Ethan Rogers, CSSI research and operations manager, and Hannah Rochford, assistant professor at Texas A & M University.
In earlier years, from 1976 to 1980, firearm use accounted for 9.7% of infant and toddler homicides (<5 years), 34.7% of child homicides (ages 5 to 12), and 63.9% of adolescent homicides (ages 13 to 19). In all three age groups, the prevalence was higher from 2016 to 2020: 14.8%, 53.1%, and 88.5% respectively.
“The growing presence of firearms in killings of children across all three age groups is noteworthy,” Berg said. “It is also critical to note, however, that many children, especially infants and toddlers, are killed by other methods. A sole focus on firearms may miss other key opportunities for homicide prevention.”
Homicide is a leading cause of death of children in the U.S. About 38,360 children under age 18 were killed between 1999 and 2020. Starting in 2013, pediatric homicides consistently rose after declining in the 1990s and 2000s. The COVID-19 pandemic was a particularly vulnerable time: From 2019 to 2020, U.S. homicides among individuals ages 10 to 19 increased by 39.1%. Research has shown that homicide in America is disproportionately committed against boys and Black children.
Characteristics of perpetrators: Gender, age, and relationship
The study found that perpetrators of pediatric homicide differed across age groups of children. Male and female family members 18 years and older were the most common perpetrators of infant and toddler killings (36.5% and 26.9% respectively) and child killings (31.5% and 18.5% respectively). The authors note these results align with young children being more dependent and having more interactions with family than older children.
Adolescents ages 13 to 19 were more likely to be killed by acquaintances (59.6%). However, Black adolescents (63.5%) were at greater risk of being killed by acquaintances compared to White adolescents (54.7%).
From 2016 to 2020, there were twice as many firearms-involved homicides committed against Black infant and toddlers (20.8%) than White infants and toddlers (10.2%). The authors note these racial disparities highlight the inequities of firearm violence that have long afflicted Black communities, which disproportionally experience social and environmental stressors. These stressors, they observe, can be taxing on caretakers of young children, possibly creating conditions for violence.
Males were primarily responsible for pediatric homicides of all age groups. In any given five-year period between 1976 and 2020, more than 90% of adolescent homicides of male, female, Black, and White victims were committed by males.
From 1976 to 2020, the characteristics of pediatric homicides remained rather stable; however, the authors note two important shifts: More infant and toddler homicides were committed by individuals 18 years and older in recent years (96.6% - up from 90.3% between1976 and 1980), and a larger proportion of females and family members were perpetrators of child homicides (ages 5 to 12) in recent years compared to the 1980s and 1990s (females - over 27% compared to over 19%; family members – over 50% compared to over 61%).
Preventing pediatric homicides
The authors conclude that future research should investigate the causes of pediatric homicide, looking at family and peer relationships and school and neighborhood environments.
The authors stated, “Policy interventions that improve family stability and well-being may be most effective at preventing infant, toddler, and child homicides, whereas programs that target peer and community relationships, as well as policies that focus on firearm access, may be more crucial for preventing adolescent homicides.”
Additional studies related to firearms injuries are being conducted by researchers at the Center for Social Science Innovation in collaboration with the UI Injury Prevention Research Center and its Firearm Safety Research and Practice Action Team.