Perceived safety and preparedness for active shooter incidents among undergraduate students

Abstract

BackgroundActive shooter (AS) situations on school campuses have been a serious threat. Students play a significant role in the effectiveness of safety procedures in these situations. Evaluating student perceptions of preparedness and safety is important as schools implement AS preparedness policies. MethodsThis study was conducted at a private university in the United States of America (US). A total of 421 undergraduate students participated in a survey that asked about their perceptions of preparedness and safety at their University. The survey was sent to the students via email. Inferential statistics were utilized for data analyses. ResultsOver half of the students were aware of the locations of the AS guidelines, but a limited number of students were aware of the University resources. The more confident they felt to respond to AS events, the more susceptible they felt to AS events. The more they felt that the University was prepared and safe, the less they felt susceptible. The more they were confident in responding to AS events, the safer they felt. In addition, students' perception of safety depended on their perception of the University's preparedness, especially among those who felt that the University was susceptible. ConclusionsThe results indicated that students who were more involved in emergency preparedness activities had both a higher awareness of susceptibility and higher perceptions of preparedness and safety. Providing appropriate emergency preparedness programs may help students familiarize themselves with the resources and enhance their preparedness.