Abstract
Objectives
This study aimed to examine the incidence of, and factors associated with, hospital
presentation for self-harm among older Canadians in long-term care (LTC).
Design
Retrospective cohort study.
Setting and Participants
The LTC data were collected using Resident Assessment Instrument–Minimum Data Set
(RAI-MDS) and Resident Assessment Instrument–Home Care (RAI-HC), and linked to the
Discharge Abstract Database (DAD) with hospital records of self-harm diagnosis. Adults
aged 60+ at first assessment between April 1, 2003, and March 31, 2015, were included.
Methods
Adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) of self-harm for potentially relevant factors, including
demographic, clinical, and psychosocial characteristics, were calculated using Fine
& Gray competing risk models.
Results
Records were collated of 465,870 people in long-term care facilities (LTCF), and 773,855
people receiving home care (HC). Self-harm incidence per 100,000 person-years was
20.76 [95% confidence interval (CI) 20.31–25.40] for LTCF and 46.64 (44.24–49.12)
for HC. In LTCF, the strongest risks were younger age (60–74 years vs 90+: HR, 6.00;
95% CI, 3.24–11.12), psychiatric disorders (bipolar disorder: 3.46; 2.32–5.16; schizophrenia:
2.31; 1.47–3.62; depression: 2.29; 1.80–2.92), daily severe pain (2.01; 1.30–3.11),
and daily tobacco consumption (1.78; 1.29–2.45). For those receiving HC, the strongest
risk factors were younger age (60–74 years vs 90+: 2.54; 1.97–3.28), psychiatric disorders
(2.20; 1.93–2.50), daily tobacco consumption (2.08; 1.81–2.39), and frequent falls
(1.98; 1.46–2.68). All model interactions between setting and factors were significant.
Conclusions and Implications
There was lower incidence of hospital presentation for self-harm for LTCF residents
than HC recipients. We found sizable risks of self-harm associated with several modifiable
risk factors, some of which can be directly addressed by better treatment and care
(psychiatric disorders and pain), whereas others require through more complex interventions
that target underlying factors and causes (tobacco and falls). The findings highlight
a need for setting- and risk-specific prevention strategies to address self-harm in
the older populations.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 14, 2021
Footnotes
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
This research was supported by the University of Hong Kong Seed Fund for Basic Research (Grant: 201803159007).
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