The community impact of school‐shootings on stress‐related emergency department visits

Abstract

AbstractSchool‐shootings can enormously impact U.S. gun policy, but very little is known about the community mental health impact of school‐shootings. We used difference‐in‐differences and event study analyses to compare stress‐related ED visits in zip‐codes within 5 miles (exposed) and in zip‐codes 10–15 miles from (control) school‐shootings before and after school‐shootings using data from California, 2005–2011. School‐shootings and fatal school‐shootings were associated with annual increases of 0.7 and 1.5 stress‐related ED visits per 1000 people, increases of 7% and 14%, respectively, compared to pre‐shooting utilization. These previously unmeasured costs of school‐shootings reinforce calls to prevent gun violence, especially in schools.