Relevant Publications

The Epidemiology of Murder-Suicide in the US, 2016–2022

Katherine M. Keyes, Victoria A. Joseph, Caroline Rutherford; JAMA Network Open, 2025. Population-level analysis of trends and characteristics in murder-suicide events — where homicide is immediately followed by suicide — highlighting firearm prevalence and demographic patterns associated with these incidents. 

Navigating Dual-Harm: Integrating Self- and Other-Harm Into Public Health Inquiry

Diego A. Díaz-Faes, PhD; Sonali Rajan, EdD; Charles C. Branas, PhD, American Journal of Public Health, April 2025. This essay frames dual-harm (the co-occurrence of self- and other-harm) as a public health problem, outlines key conceptual and methodological gaps, and offers recommendations to advance epidemiologic research and targeted prevention strategies—particularly during adolescence.

Self- and Other-Harm in Mass Shooters: A Dual-Harm Analysis

Diego A. Díaz-Faes, Sonali Rajan, Charles C. Branas, Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, 2025. An analysis of 197 U.S. mass shooters (1966–2023) finds that one-fifth met criteria for dual-harm (self- and other-harm) and that this group showed the highest prevalence of adverse childhood experiences, mental health-related risk factors, and indicators such as leakage and fame-seeking, underscoring diverse pathways and a high-risk subgroup with complex prevention needs.

Pre-Attack Crisis Indicators in Mass Shooters: Differences Across No-, Single-, and Dual-Harm Groups

Diego A. Díaz-Faes, Sonali Rajan, Charles C. Branas, Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, 2025. Using The Violence Project Database (197 U.S. mass shooters, 1966–2023), this study identifies distinct pre-attack crisis indicator profiles and finds that shooters in a dual-harm group (self- and other-harm) were overrepresented in an “emotionally labile and aggressive” profile, highlighting heterogeneity in pre-attack warning signs and the potential value of harm-based risk frameworks.

Attitudes of Women Towards Intimate Partner Violence in Guyana: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study

G. Joseph et al., PLOS ONE, 2024. This study examines attitudes toward intimate partner violence, highlighting the influence of social and cultural norms on violence risk and informing prevention and intervention strategies.

Experiences of Online Bullying and Offline Violence-Related Behaviors Among U.S. Adolescents, 2011–2019

Noah T. Kreski, Qixuan Chen, Mark Olfson, Magdalena Cerdá, Silvia S. Martins, Pia M. Mauro, Charles C. Branas, Sonali Rajan, Katherine M. Keyes, Journal of School Health, 2022. Using national Youth Risk Behavior Survey data, this study found that adolescents who experienced online bullying were significantly more likely to report offline violence-related behaviors — including weapon carrying and physical fighting — highlighting intersections between online harm, perceived school safety, and adolescent violence risk. 

Homicide Incidents Involving Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder as Victims Reported in the US News Media, 2000–2019

Joseph Guan, Ashley Blanchard, Carolyn G. DiGuiseppi, Stanford Chihuri, Guohua Li, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2022. An analysis of U.S. news media–reported homicide incidents involving child victims with autism, describing victim/perpetrator characteristics and mechanisms of injury (including firearms) and underscoring the need for stronger caregiver support and prevention strategies.

Community Greening, Fear of Crime, and Mental Health Outcomes

Cassidy J. Burt, Michelle C. Kondo, Bernadette C. Hohl, Catherine H. Gong, Gregory Bushman, Caroline Wixom, Eugenia C. South, Rebecca M. Cunningham, Patrick M. Carter, Charles C. Branas, Marc A. Zimmerman, American Journal of Community Psychology, 2022. This study links improvements in vacant urban land with reduced fear of crime and better mental health outcomes in urban residents, offering evidence for structural interventions as part of violence-related mental health support strategies.

Simulating the Bounds of Plausibility: Estimating the Impact of High-Risk Versus Population-Based Approaches to Prevent Firearm Injury

Katherine M. Keyes et al., PLOS ONE, 2022. This simulation study compares high-risk and population-based approaches to firearm injury prevention, demonstrating that while targeted strategies may produce strong individual-level effects, population-wide approaches have greater potential for broader impact.

Does the Second Amendment Protect the Gun Rights of Persons With Mental Illness?

Appelbaum P, Psychiatric Services, 2016

Public Safety, Mental Disorders, and Guns

Appelbaum P, JAMA Psychiatry, 2013