Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Differences in Younger, Middle, and Older Children Admitted to Child Psychiatric Inpatient Services

  • Published:
Child Psychiatry and Human Development Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Sociodemographic, family-environmental, clinical, and service use differences among younger (3–6 years), middle (7–10 years), and older (11–16 years) children admitted to a child psychiatric inpatient service were examined. Data was collected retrospectively on 327 children using a 152-item chart abstraction form from the children's medical charts in years 1993, 1995, 1996, and 1997. The results suggest that younger children compared to their older counterparts come from poorer functioning families and that family-environmental, rather than clinical, diagnostic variables differentiate these groups. Implications of the findings for future research and practice are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Causey DL, Robertson JM, Elam SM: Characteristics of toddlers and youngsters exhibiting severe psychiatric disturbance. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 29: 33-48, 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Blotcky MJ, Dimperio TL, Gossett JT: Follow-up of children treated in psychiatric hospitals: a review of studies. Am J Psychiatry 141: 1499-1507, 1984.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Pfeiffer SI, Strzelecki SC: Inpatient psychiatric treatment of children and adolescents: a review of outcome studies. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 29: 847-853, 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Scahill L, Riddle MA: Psychiatrically hospitalized children: a critical review. Yale J Biol Med 63: 301-312, 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Heller TL, Baker BL, Henker B, Hinshaw SP: Externalizing behavior and cognitive functioning from preschool to first grade: stability and predictors. J of Clin Child Psychol 25: 372-375, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Dalton R, Forman MA, Daul GC, Bolding D: Psychiatric hospitalization of preschool children: admission factors and discharge implications. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 26: 308-312, 1987.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Rosenthal PA, Rosenthal S, Doherty MB, Santora D: Suicidal thoughts and behaviors in depressed hospitalized youngsters. Am J Psychother 40: 201-212, 1986.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Mansheim P: Short-term psychiatric inpatient treatment of younger children. Hospital Community Psychiatry. 41: 670-672, 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  9. American College of Psychiatrists: Inpatient treatment of adolescents: update. 1990.

  10. Birmaher B, Ryan N, Williamson D, Brent D, Kaufman J, Dahl R, Perel J, Nelson B: Childhood and adolescent depression: a review of the past 10 years. Part I. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 35: 1427-1439, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  11. American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Zito JM, Safer DJ, dosReis S, Gardener JF, Boles M, Lynch: Trends in the prescribing of psychotropic medications to youngsters. JAMA 283: 1025-1060, 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Shirk SR: Integrated child psychotherapy: Treatment ingredients in search of a recipe. In Handbook of psychotherapies with children and families. Issues in clinical child psychology, eds. Russ SW, Ollendick, TH, et al. New York, NY, US: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, 1999.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Iglehart, JK: The American health care system—Medicaid. N Engl J Med 340: 403-408, 1999.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Dalton R, Moseley T, McDermott B: Psychiatric findings among child psychiatric inpatients grouped by public and private payment. Psychiatr Serv 48: 689-693, 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Grossman J, Schottenfeld R: Pregnancy and women's issues. In Clinician's guide to cocaine addiction. eds Kosten T, Kleber H. New York: Guilford, 1992.

    Google Scholar 

  17. US Department of Health and Human Services: Child maltreatment 1995: reports from the states to the national center on child abuse and neglect. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Tracy EM: Maternal substance abuse: Protecting the child, preserving the family. Soc Work. 39: 534-540, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Lung CT, Daro D: Current trends in child abuse reporting and fatalities: The results of the 1995 annual fifty state survey. Working paper no. 808. Chicago, IL: National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse, April 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Rigdon JD, Tapia F: Children who are cruel to animals: a follow-up study. J Operational Psychiatry 8: 27-36, 1977.

    Google Scholar 

  21. American Humane Association: Highlights of Official Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting. Denver, CO: Author, 1987.

  22. Dansky BS, Brady KT, Saladin ME, Killeen T, et al: Victimization and PTSD in individuals with substance use disorders: Gender and racial differences. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. 22: 75-93, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Gabel S, Shindledecker R: Parental substance abuse and suspected child abuse/maltreatment predict outcome in children's inpatient treatment. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 29: 919-924, 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Luk ESL, Staiger PK, Wong L, Mathai J: Children who are cruel to animals: a revisit. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 33: 29-36, 1999.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Hall LA, Williams CA, Greenberg RS: Supports, stressors, and depressive symptoms in low-income mothers of young children. Am J Public Health 75: 518-522, 1985.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Wax D, Haddox V: Enuresis, firesetting and animal cruelty in male adolescent delinquents: a triad predictive of violent behavior. Am J Psychiatry 2: 45-71, 1974.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Felthous AR, Kellert SR: Violence against animals and people: is aggression against living creatures generalized? Bull Am Acad Psychiatry Law 14: 55-69, 1986.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Lytton H, Singh JK, Gallagher L: In: Handbook of Parenting, Vol. 1: Children and Parenting, Bornstein MH, ed. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Bryan EM: Prenatal and perinatal influences on twin children: implications for behavioral studies. In Twins as a Tool of Behavioral Genetics, eds. Jr. Bouchard TJ, Propping P. Chichester, New York: John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 1993.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Rutter M, Redshaw J: Growing up as a twin: twin-singleton differences in psychological development. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 32: 885-895, 1991.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Thorpe KJ, Golding J, MacGillivray I, Greenwood R: Comparison of prevalence of depression in mothers of twins and mothers of singletons. BMJ 302: 875-878, 1991.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Vandell DL: Development in twins. Annals of Child Development 7: 145-174, 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  33. Rubin KH, Stewart SL, Chen X: Parents of aggressive and withdrawn children. In Handbook of Parenting, Vol. 1: Children and Parenting, ed. Bornstein MH. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  34. Simonoff E: Comparison of twins and singletons with child psychiatric disorders: an item sheet study. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 33: 1319-1332, 1992.

    Google Scholar 

  35. Earls F: Sex differences in psychiatric disorders: origins and developmental influences. Psychiatr Dev 1: 1-23, 1987.

    Google Scholar 

  36. Fagot BI: Parenting boys and girls. In Handbook of parenting, Vol. 1: Children and parenting, eds Bornstein, MH et al. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

  37. McGee R, Feehan M, Williams S, Partridge F, Silva PA, Kelly J: DSM-III disorders in a large sample of adolescents. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 29: 611-619, 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  38. Doherty MB, Manderson M, Carter-Ake L: Time-limited psychiatric hospitalization of children: a model and three-year outcome. Hosp Community Psychiatry 38: 643-647, 1987.

    Google Scholar 

  39. Woolston JL: Transactional risk model for short and intermediate term psychiatric inpatient treatment of children. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 28: 38-41, 1989.

    Google Scholar 

  40. Sargent J: Children and adolescents in pyshciatric hospitals. In Children in Families at Risk: Maintaing the Connections, ed. Combrinck-Graham et al. New York, New York: Guildford Press, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  41. Woolston JL, Berkowitz SJ, Schaefer MC, Adnopoz JA: Intensive, integrated, inhome services: the catalyst to enhancing outpatient intervention. Child Psychiatr Clin N Am 7: 615-633, 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  42. Henggeler SW, Rowland MD, Randall JW, David M, Pickrel SG, Cunningham PB, Miller SL, Edwards J, Zealberg JJ, Hand LD, Santos AB: Home-based multisystemic therapy as an alternative to the hospitalization of youths in psychiatric crisis: Clinical outcomes. J Am Acad Child Adoles Psychiatry 38: 1331-1339, 1999.

    Google Scholar 

  43. Dalton R, Muller B, Forman MA: The psychiatric hospitalization of children: an overview. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 19: 231-244, 1989.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Yale University School of Medicine, USA

    Bronce J. Rice, Joseph Woolston, Edgar Stewart & Bonnie D. Kerker

  2. Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale University School of Medicine, 60 College St, Box 208034, New Haven, CT, 06520-8034

    Sarah M. Horwitz

Authors
  1. Bronce J. Rice
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Joseph Woolston
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Edgar Stewart
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Bonnie D. Kerker
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Sarah M. Horwitz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Rice, B.J., Woolston, J., Stewart, E. et al. Differences in Younger, Middle, and Older Children Admitted to Child Psychiatric Inpatient Services. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 32, 241–261 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015244626238

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015244626238

Search

Navigation