The study analyzed records from a large health insurance database and found that children had increased psychiatric diagnoses and mental health visits after a parent was injured by a firearm. Compared to the control group, exposed children experienced a 42% increase in psychiatric diagnoses and a 60% increase in mental health visits in the year following a parent's injury. These effects were more pronounced in girls and children whose parents needed treatment in the intensive care unit. Most of the increase was in diagnoses of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder, but mood disorders, including depression, also increased. Each year in the US, approximately 20,000 children and adolescents lose a parent to gun violence, with 2-3 times as many having a parent injured by a gun. The researchers emphasize the need for early targeted interventions, such as hospital-based programs and better communication with pediatricians.