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Predictors of Inpatient Psychiatric Hospitalization for Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

  • S.I. : Autism Inpatient Collection - Studying the Severely Affected
  • Published:
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Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is associated with significant healthcare expenditures and a greater utilization of psychiatric health services. High utilization may not be evenly distributed across individuals with ASD. The objective of this study was to identify individual and family characteristics that increase the risk of psychiatric hospitalization. Naturalistic study of two age- and gender-matched ASD cohorts, inpatients enrolled in the Autism Inpatient Collection (AIC) and outpatients enrolled in the Rhode Island Consortium of Autism Research and Treatment (RI-CART), revealed a number of factors associated with hospitalization. Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that adaptive functioning, ASD symptom severity, primary caregiver’s marital status, the presence of mood disorders, and the presence of sleep problems independently increased the risk of psychiatric hospitalization.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the Simons Foundation (SFARI [286756 to EMM]; SFARI [296318 to MS]; SFARI [454555 to SS]) and the Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation [to MS]. Work was also supported by the Hassenfeld Child Health Innovation Institute. Dr. Mazefsky was also supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD079512; K23HD060601). The ADDIRC is made up of the co-investigators: Matthew Siegel, MD (PI) (Maine Medical Center Research Institute; Tufts University), Craig Erickson, M.D. (Cincinnati Children’s Hospital; University of Cincinnati), Robin L. Gabriels, PsyD (Children’s Hospital Colorado; University of Colorado), Desmond Kaplan, MD (Sheppard Pratt Health System), Carla Mazefsky, PhD (Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinics; University of Pittsburgh), Eric M. Morrow, MD, PhD (Bradley Hospital; Brown University), Giulia Righi, PhD (Bradley Hospital; Brown University), Susan L Santangelo, ScD (Maine Medical Center Research Institute; Tufts University), and Logan Wink, MD (Cincinnati Children’s Hospital; University of Cincinnati). Collaborating investigators and staff: Jill Benevides, BS, Carol Beresford, MD, Carrie Best, MPH, Katie Bowen, LCSW, Briar Dechant, BS, Tom Flis, BCBA, LCPC, Holly Gastgeb, PhD, Angela Geer, BS, Louis Hagopian, PhD, Benjamin Handen, PhD, BCBA-D, Adam Klever, BS, Martin Lubetsky, MD, Kristen MacKenzie, BS, Zenoa Meservy, MD, John McGonigle, PhD, Kelly McGuire, MD, Faith McNeil, BS, Joshua Montrenes, BS, Tamara Palka, MD, Ernest Pedapati, MD, Kahsi A. Pedersen, PhD, Christine Peura, BA, Joseph Pierri, MD, Christie Rogers, MS, CCC-SLP, Brad Rossman, MA, Jennifer Ruberg, LISW, Elise Sannar, MD, Cathleen Small, PhD, Nicole Stuckey, MSN, RN, Brittany Troen, MA, R-DMT, Barbara Tylenda, PhD, Mary Verdi, MA, Jessica Vezzoli, BS, Deanna Williams, BA, and Diane Williams, PhD, CCC-SLP. We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the coordinating site advisory group: Donald L. St. Germain, MD and Girard Robinson, MD, and our scientific advisory group: Connie Kasari, PhD., Bryan King, MD, James McCracken, MD, Christopher McDougle, MD, Lawrence Scahill, MSN, PhD, Robert Schultz, PhD and Helen Tager-Flusberg, PhD, the input of the funding organizations and the families and children who participated.

Author contribution

GR conceived of the study, participated in its design, performed statistical analysis and drafted the manuscript; JB participated in interpretation of the data, and helped draft the manuscript; CM participated in the interpretation of the data, and helped draft the manuscript, MS participated in study design and coordination, and helped draft the manuscript; SJS participated in conceiving the study, its design and coordination, interpretation of data, and helped to draft the manuscript; EMM participated in conceiving the study, its design and coordination, intepretation of data, and helped to draft the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Emma Pendleton Bradley Hospital, 1011 Veterans Memorial Parkway, East Providence, RI, 02915, USA

    Giulia Righi, Jill Benevides & Eric M. Morrow

  2. Women and Infant’s Hospital, 101 Dudley street, Providence, RI, 02905, USA

    Stephen J. Sheinkopf

  3. Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 700 Butler Dr, Providence, RI, 02906, USA

    Giulia Righi, Stephen J. Sheinkopf & Eric M. Morrow

  4. Division of Biology and Medicine, Rhode Island Consortium for Autism Research and Treatment (RI-CART), and the Hassenfeld Child Health Innovation Institute (HCHII), Brown University, 1011 Veterans Memorial Parkway, East Providence, RI, 02915, USA

    Giulia Righi, Stephen J. Sheinkopf & Eric M. Morrow

  5. Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, 3811 O’Hara St, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA

    Carla Mazefsky

  6. Maine Medical Center Research Institute, Spring Harbor Hospital, Tufts University School of Medicine, 123 Andover Road, Westbrook, ME, 04092, USA

    Matthew Siegel

  7. Rhode Island Consortium for Autism Research and Treatment (RI-CART), and the Hassenfeld Child Health Innovation Institute, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 101 Dudley street, Providence, RI, 02905, USA

    Stephen J. Sheinkopf

Authors
  1. Giulia Righi
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  2. Jill Benevides
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  3. Carla Mazefsky
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  4. Matthew Siegel
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  6. Eric M. Morrow
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Consortia

for the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Inpatient Research Collaborative (ADDIRC)

  • Matthew Siegel
  • , Craig Erickson
  • , Robin L. Gabriels
  • , Desmond Kaplan
  • , Carla Mazefsky
  • , Eric M. Morrow
  • , Giulia Righi
  • , Susan L. Santangelo
  • , Logan Wink
  • , Jill Benevides
  • , Carol Beresford
  • , Carrie Best
  • , Katie Bowen
  • , Briar Dechant
  • , Tom Flis
  • , Holly Gastgeb
  • , Angela Geer
  • , Louis Hagopian
  • , Benjamin Handen
  • , Adam Klever
  • , Martin Lubetsky
  • , Kristen MacKenzie
  • , Zenoa Meservy
  • , John McGonigle
  • , Kelly McGuire
  • , Faith McNeil
  • , Joshua Montrenes
  • , Tamara Palka
  • , Ernest Pedapati
  • , Kahsi A. Pedersen
  • , Christine Peura
  • , Joseph Pierri
  • , Christie Rogers
  • , Brad Rossman
  • , Jennifer Ruberg
  • , Elise Sannar
  • , Cathleen Small
  • , Nicole Stuckey
  • , Brittany Troen
  • , Barbara Tylenda
  • , Mary Verdi
  • , Jessica Williams
  • , Deanna Lubetsky
  • , Diane Williams
  • , Martin Lubetsky
  •  & Martin Lubetsky

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Giulia Righi.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare they have no conflicts of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committees where the data was collected and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in this study.

Additional information

Members of the ADDIRC group are listed in Acknowledgements section.

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Righi, G., Benevides, J., Mazefsky, C. et al. Predictors of Inpatient Psychiatric Hospitalization for Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 48, 3647–3657 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3154-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3154-9

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