The Nature of Explicit and Implicit Firearm Threat by Intimate Partners Across the Life Course among Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence.

Objective: Among women who experience intimate partner violence (IPV), to document the prevalence of explicit Method: Women ( Results: Of participants, 35% reported experiencing firearm threats by an intimate partner during their lifetime. Participants experienced 9.1 (SD = 24.3) instances of firearm threat, on average. Participants who experienced implicit firearm threat only were not significantly different from those who experienced explicit threat on various characteristics and IPV experiences. Most incidents took place in private locations when no one else was around. Partners were described as "angry/irrational/extremely upset" during 68.7% of incidents, "calm" during 38.6% of incidents, and separately, were reported to be under the influence of alcohol/drugs in 49.4% of incidents. One-fourth of participants believed their partner would be willing to use a gun against them. Conclusions: Findings underscore the need for stronger attention to implicit firearm threat in practice and policy. Clinically, there is a need to advance training of providers to raise awareness of explicit and implicit firearm threats and recognize the heterogeneity of incident characteristics as it has implications for survivor-centered practices.