Development of an At-Risk Personality Profile for (In)Direct Self-Harm Engagement in Older Age

Across the lifespan, suicide mortality rates are highest among older adults, yet research on self-harm in later life remains limited. This study explores how self-reported maladaptive personality traits (measured by the PID-5-BF+M) are associated with self-harm in older adults, and whether there are potential differences according to the type of self-harm behaviors (indirect, direct, and the co-occurrence of these two) in this age group. From a convenience sample of 790 adults aged 60 years and older, 102 participants were selected using a matched-pair design. Regression models showed that three personality domains (i.e., Negative Affectivity, Antagonism, and Psychoticism) and eight personality facets were related with self-harm in older adults. Boxplots showed differences between maladaptive personality scores depending on self-harm type. Presence of elevated PID-5-BF+M scores may help clinicians identify elevated self-harm risk in older adults. Future research should differentiate between types of self-harm, as the associated risk factors may vary.