Hospital-presenting self-harm among older adults living in Ireland: a 13-year trend analysis from the National Self-Harm Registry Ireland.

Isabela Troya, M.; Griffin, Eve; Arensman, Ella; Cassidy, Eugene; Mughal, Faraz; Lonergan, Caoimhe Ni; O’Mahony, James; Lovejoy, Sally; Ward, Mark; Corcoran, Paul

Abstract

To examine trends in rates of self-harm among emergency department (ED) presenting older adults in Ireland over a 13-year period. Population-based study using data from the National Self-Harm Registry Ireland. National hospital EDs. Older adults aged 60 years and over presenting with self-harm to hospital EDs in Ireland between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2019. ED self-harm presentations. Between 2007 and 2019, there were 6931 presentations of self-harm in older adults. The average annual self-harm rate was 57.8 per 100,000 among older adults aged 60 years and over. Female rates were 1.1 times higher compared to their male counterparts (61.4 vs 53.9 per 100,000). Throughout the study time frame, females aged 60-69 years had the highest rates (88.1 per 100,000), while females aged 80 years and over had the lowest rates (18.7 per 100,000). Intentional drug overdose was the most commonly used method (75.5%), and alcohol was involved in 30.3% of presentations. Between the austerity and recession years (2007-2012), self-harm presentations were 7% higher compared to 2013-2019 (incidence rate ratio (IRR): 1.07 95% CI 1.02-1.13, = 0.01). Findings indicate that self-harm in older adults remains a concern with approximately 533 presentations per year in Ireland. While in younger age groups, females report higher rates of self-harm, this gender difference was reversed in the oldest age group (80 years and over), with higher rates of self-harm among males. Austerity/recession years (2007-2012) had significantly higher rates of self-harm compared to subsequent years.

Citation

Isabela Troya, M., Griffin, E., Arensman, E., Cassidy, E., Mughal, F., Lonergan, C. N., …Corcoran, P. (2023). Hospital-presenting self-harm among older adults living in Ireland: a 13-year trend analysis from the National Self-Harm Registry Ireland. International Psychogeriatrics, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610223000856

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 22, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Oct 16, 2023
• Publication Date: Oct 16, 2023
• Deposit Date: Oct 23, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 24, 2023
• Journal: International psychogeriatrics
• Print ISSN: 1041-6102
• Electronic ISSN: 1741-203X
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Pages: 1-9
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610223000856
• Keywords: Suicide, death and dying, self-mutilation, epidemiology
• Publisher URL: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-psychogeriatrics/article/hospitalpresenting-selfharm-among-older-adults-living-in-ireland-a-13year-trend-analysis-from-the-national-selfharm-registry-ireland/0447EE545CA5B7506BDADA9540A5E75B