ArticleEClinicalMedicine2019
Understanding self-harm in older adults: A qualitative study.
Article in EClinicalMedicine, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 41 citations in OpenAlex.
- Systematic review on the frequency and quality of reporting patient and public involvement in patient safety research.BMC health services research · 2024Pooled it
- Critically Exploring Self-Harm Through Lived Experience Perspectives: A Survivor-Controlled Integrative Review Employing Participatory Methodology.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2026Review
- Loneliness Mediates the Link Between Indirect Self-Destructive Behavior and Life Satisfaction in Women from Dysfunctional Family Backgrounds.Brain sciences · 2025Article
- Wish to die and healthcare use in older people: cross-sectional findings from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA).Journal of public health (Berlin, Germany) · 2025Article
- Older women in the criminal justice system: a brief report from a nominal group.The journal of forensic psychiatry & psychology · 2025Article
- Article
- Psychogeriatric experts' experiences with risk factors of non-suicidal and suicidal self-injury in older adults: A qualitative study.Qualitative research in medicine & healthcare · 2024Article
- A proposal to embed patient and public involvement within qualitative data collection and analysis phases of a primary care based implementation study.Research involvement and engagement · 2023Review
- Suicide ideation in older people: a qualitative review and Meta-aggregation of Asian studies.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Review
- A qualitative study of multiple voices to inform aftercare services for older persons following self-harm.International journal of geriatric psychiatry · 2023Article
- A comparison of temporal pathways to self-harm in young people compared to adults: A pilot test of the Card Sort Task for Self-harm online using Indicator Wave Analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
- Child Sexual Abuse Victimization: Focus on Self-Compassion.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
- Methods to Generate Innovative Research Ideas and Improve Patient and Public Involvement in Modern Epidemiological Research: Review, Patient Viewpoint, and Guidelines for Implementation of a Digital Cohort Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Review
- Investigating the relationship between childhood sexual abuse, self-harm repetition and suicidal intent: mixed-methods study.BJPsych open · 2021Article
- The Violence of the Cut: Gendering Self-Harm.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- The social life of self-harm in general practice.Social theory & health : STH · 2020Article
- Role of primary care in supporting older adults who self-harm: a qualitative study in England.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2019Article
- Bilateral Self-enucleation of the Eyes: Case Report and Literature Review.Journal of the West African College of SurgeonsArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSelf-harm is the leading risk factor for suicide, with elevated rates reported amongst older populations. This study explores how older adults experience self-harm, identifying factors leading to self-harm.
methodsSemi-structured interviews with older adults (≥ 60 years) engaging in self-harm and support workers from third sector services in England. Older adults were invited to participate in a follow-up interview. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and data analysed thematically. Ethical approval obtained from Keele University's Ethics Review Panel. A Patient Involvement group contributed to study design, data analysis and interpretation. OUTCOMES: Between September 2017 to September 2018, 24 interviews were conducted involving 16 participants: nine older adults and seven support workers. Eight older adults consented to follow-up interviews. All older adults reported diagnoses of mental illness in addition to physical illness. Participants identified diverse stressors accumulating over the life-course leaving older adults particularly vulnerable to self-harm. Such stressors included adverse events, loss, interpersonal and health problems. A sense of shame and stigma amongst older people using self-harm to manage distress was also reported.
interpretationSelf-harm is often concealed due to stigma and shame, being further accentuated amongst older adults, which may result in low levels of medical help-seeking behaviour for self-harm. Self-harm occurred along a spectrum of no-suicidal intent to high-levels of intent, suggesting self-harm holds different functions to older adults. Clinicians should be aware of the existence of self-harm in this age-group, and the heightened risk amongst those with comorbidities so adequate assessment, support and/or referral is provided.
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