Abstract
Self-harm is a major risk factor for suicide or self-harm repetition. As the global population ages, it is important that older adults are not considered a homogeneous population group. In this study, we aimed to identify the characteristics of elderly self-harm and compare these between age groups who were admitted to emergency departments in South Korea. A retrospective study was conducted using the Emergency Department-based Injury In-depth Surveillance (EDIIS) database in South Korea. We included self-harm patients aged 65 years or more. Inclusions were divided into two groups by age: younger-old (65 to 79 years) and older-old (≥80 years). The primary outcome was the difference between two age groups; a secondary analysis was conducted to identify potential risk factors for in-hospital mortality among patients with self-harm. Among a total of 2,116,039 patients recorded in database, there was a total of 5986 self-harm patients. Self-harm incidence increased with age through the mid-70s, peaking at age 75 (3.59%, 95% confidence interval, 3.27%–3.91%). Two age groups showed significant differences in demographic variables, such as sex, alcohol consumption, injury location, and motivation. Risk factors for self-harm in older adults included older age, male sex, no alcohol consumption, emergency medical service use, and the method of self-harm. The incidence of self-harm among older adults peaked in the mid-70s and decreased thereafter. A higher mortality rate was observed among older-old adults, compared to younger-old adults, and this may be attributed to resilient physical status naturally derived from older age.
Subject
Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes,Building and Construction,General Medicine,Media Technology,General Medicine,General Earth and Planetary Sciences,General Environmental Science,Pharmacology,General Medicine,General Medicine,General Medicine,General Medicine
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1 articles.
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