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Predicting Psychiatric Rehospitalization in Adolescents

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Abstract

Adolescent psychiatric rehospitalizations are common, cause patients and their families severe psychological distress, and use tremendous healthcare resources. This study sought to identify predictors of rehospitalization in 783 adolescents in the 2 year period following psychiatric hospitalization at a major treatment facility in a large urban area. A current diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder, greater severity of lifetime suicidal ideation (SI) and stronger treatment alliance prior to hospitalization were associated with a greater likelihood of rehospitalization. Overall, severe lifetime SI was the strongest predictor of rehospitalization; although, within the first 4 months post-discharge, moderate lifetime SI was the strongest predictor. Future research should continue to identify additional factors that may influence rehospitalization, such as the intensity of post-discharge services.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Evan M. Kleiman, PhD, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA, Alexander J. Millner, Ph.D., Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA, and Randy P. Auerbach, PhD, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA for their input and manuscript review.

Funding

This study was funded by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, Boston, MA (Grant 14 ICB Grant FrancisCDB).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mental Health Research Department, Franciscan Children’s, Franciscan Children’s, 30 Warren St, Brighton, MA, 02135, USA

    Victoria W. Joyce, Christopher D. King & Carol C. Nash

  2. Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA

    Christopher D. King, Lauren A. M. Lebois & Kerry J. Ressler

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Lauren A. M. Lebois, Kerry J. Ressler & Ralph J. Buonopane

  4. McLean-Franciscan Child and Adolescent Inpatient Mental Health Program, Brighton, MA, USA

    Ralph J. Buonopane

Authors
  1. Victoria W. Joyce
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  2. Christopher D. King
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  3. Carol C. Nash
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  4. Lauren A. M. Lebois
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  5. Kerry J. Ressler
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  6. Ralph J. Buonopane
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Victoria W. Joyce.

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Conflict of interest

Victoria Joyce declares that she has no conflict of interest. Christopher King declares that he has no conflict of interest. Carol Nash declares that she has no conflict of interest. Lauren Lebois declares that she has no conflict of interest. Kerry Ressler is on the scientific advisory boards for Resilience Therapeutics, the Sheppard Pratt-Lieber Research Institute, the Laureate Institute for Brain Research, the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (STARRS) project, the University of California-San Diego VA Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health (CESAMH) and the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. He provides fee-for-service consultation for Biogen and Resilience Therapeutics. Ralph Buonopane declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. For this type of study formal consent was not required.

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Joyce, V.W., King, C.D., Nash, C.C. et al. Predicting Psychiatric Rehospitalization in Adolescents. Adm Policy Ment Health 46, 807–820 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-019-00982-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-019-00982-7

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