Just how prevalent is self-injury among older adults, specifically those ages 60 and over? Do the types and methods they use differ from those who self-injure at other ages? What about the reasons they give for self-injuring? In this episode, Dr. Lisa Van Hove from Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Brussels University) is the first to reveal the prevalence of self-injury and self-harm among older adults.

To read Dr. Van Hove's info brief on NSSI in older adults through the Cornell Research Program on Self-Injury and Recovery Resources (SIRR), visit https://www.selfinjury.bctr.cornell.edu/perch/resources/older-adult-fact-sheet-1.pdf. To see Dr. Van Hove's publications, including those about self-injury among older adults, click here. Connect with Dr. Van Hove on LinkedIn here. Below is some of her research and that of others referenced in this episode:

Van Hove, L., Baetens, I., Hamza, C., Dierckx, E., Haekens, A., Fieremans, L., & Vanderstichelen, S. (2023). NSSI in older adults. In E.E. Lloyd-Richardson, I. Baetens, & J. Whitlock (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of nonsuicidal self-injury (pp. 572-592). Oxford University Press.
Van Hove, L., Baetens, I., & Vanderstichelen, S. (2025). Psychogeriatric experts’ experiences with risk factors of suicidal and non-suicidal self-injury in older adults: A qualitative study. Qualitative Research in Medicine and Healthcare, 8(1).
Van Hove, L., Baetens, I., & Vanderstichelen, S. (2024). Conceptualizing self-harm through the experiences of psychogeriatric experts. Psychopathology, 57(4), 277-285.
Van Hove, L., Nieuwenhuijs, B. M., Vanderstichelen, S., De Witte, N., Gorus, E., Stas, L., & Baetens, I. (2025). Biopsychosocial profile of community-dwelling older adults at risk for direct and indirect self-harm. Clinical Gerontologist, 1–12.
Van Hove, L., Facon M., Baetens, I., Vanderstichelen, S., Dierckx, E., Van Alphen, S.P.J., Stas, L., & Rossi, G. (2025). Development of an at-risk personality profile for (in)direct self-harm engagement in older age. Journal of Personality Disorders, 39(3), 240-262.
Murphy, E., Kapur, N., Webb, R., Purandare, N., Hawton, K., Bergen, H., Waters, K., & Cooper, J. (2012). Risk factors for repetition and suicide following self-harm in older adults: multicentre cohort study. British Journal of Psychiatry, 200(5), 399-404.
Martin, G., & Swannell, S. (2016). Non-suicidal self-injury in the over 40s: Results from a large national epidemiological survey. Epidemiology (Sunnyvale), 6(5), 266.
Choi, N. G., DiNitto, D. M., Marti, C. N., & Choi, B. Y. (2016). Nonsuicidal self-injury and suicide attempts among ED patients older than 50 years: comparison of risk factors and ED visit outcomes. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 34(6), 1016-1021.
Ose, S. O., Tveit, T., & Mehlum, L. (2021). Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in adult psychiatric outpatients – A nationwide study. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 133, 1-9.
Wiktorsson, S., Strömsten, L., Renberg, E. S., Runeson, B., & Waern, M. (2022). Clinical characteristics in older, middle-aged and young adults who present with suicide attempts at psychiatric emergency departments: A multisite study. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 30(3), 342-351.
Gratz, K. L., & Tull, M. T. (2025). Acceptance-based emotion regulation therapy: A clinician’s guide to treating emotion dysregulation & self-destructive behaviors using an evidence-based therapy drawn from ACT & DBT. Context Press.

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