Demographic and Socioeconomic Factors Influence Perceived Community Needs and Risk Factors for Firearm Violence in Mississippi

Karimi, M., Morris, M., Gordy, X., Kutcher, M., Seidfaraji, L., Brassfield, M., Dehon, E., Severance, A., Lumumba, R., Womack, F., & Zhang, L. (2026). Demographic and Socioeconomic Factors Influence Perceived Community Needs and Risk Factors for Firearm Violence in Mississippi. Journal of Public Health in the Deep South, 6(1), 16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55533/2996-6833.1134

Abstract

Background: The burden of firearm-related injuries and deaths is not borne equally across sociodemographic groups. The present study investigated the perceived needs and risk factors of firearm related injuries and mortality across gender, education, and income levels through a quantitative needs assessment completed by community members and firearm injury survivors living in the greater Jackson, Mississippi, metropolitan area.

Methods: A total of 93 participants including gunshot wound patients, survivors and community members who have been recruited through community organizations completed the needs assessment survey collecting data on demographic information, firearm exposure, substance use, community exposure to crime and violence, needs of firearm injury survivors and their families, and risk factors for firearm violence.

Results: Females, participants with higher education and higher annual income reported significantly higher perceived needs compared to male participants, those with lower levels of education and lower annual income in majority of needs. A similar pattern was found across gender, education and income levels in perceived risk factors.

Conclusion: Community-based prevention and intervention programs have played a key role in strategies to reduce violent crime. The MS-VIP program is developed to introduce interventions rooted in the community and focused on broader systems, ensuring that all members can benefit.