Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 May;31(2):75-92.
Epub 2022 May 1.

School Reintegration Following Psychiatric Hospitalization: A Review of Available Transition Programs

Anne-Marie Tougas  1   2   3 , Andrée-Anne Houle  1   2   4 , Karissa Leduc  2   5 , Émilie Frenette-Bergeron  1   2 , Katherine Marcil  1   2
Affiliations

School Reintegration Following Psychiatric Hospitalization: A Review of Available Transition Programs

Anne-Marie Tougas et al. J Can Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2022 May.

Abstract
in English, French

Objectives: This study aimed to 1) identify transition programs for school reintegration after youth psychiatric hospitalization, and 2) assess these programs using criteria established by Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development.

Method: Principles outlined by the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Coordinating Centre were used to systematically search 15 electronic databases up to October 2021 for both published and unpublished reports of transition programs. Reports meeting inclusion criteria were examined through three steps: 1) coding of available information, 2) synthesis of programs and 3) assessment of intervention specificity.

Results: Thirteen reports met the inclusion criteria and identified eight transition programs. Program theories were rarely explicit about the causal mechanisms and outcomes of their interventions. Nevertheless, areas of consensus emerge as to core components of these programs including: 1) the involvement of a multidisciplinary team, 2) the implementation of a multicomponent intervention, 3) the development of a reintegration plan, 4) the need for gradual transitions, and 5) extended support through frequent contact.

Conclusion: School reintegration programs following psychiatric hospitalization are still rare. They can be hard to implement due to the challenges they impose for inter-professional and intersectoral collaborations. Despite this, four of the eight programs are in a good position for an evaluation of their promising standing. Nevertheless, well-designed controlled trials and cohort studies are needed.

Objectifs: Cette étude visait à 1) identifier des programmes de transition ayant pour but de favoriser la réintégration scolaire des jeunes à la suite d’une hospitalisation psychiatrique et 2) évaluer ces programmes sur la base de critères établis par les experts du Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development.

Méthode: Les principes énoncés par le Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Coordinating Centre (EPPI-Centre) ont été suivis pour conduire une requête systématique dans 15 banques de données informatisées, en date du mois d’octobre 2021, à la recherche de documents publiés et non publiés portant sur des programmes de transition. Les documents qui rencontraient les critères d’inclusion ont fait l’objet d’un examen en trois étapes: 1) codification de l’information disponible, 2) synthèse des programmes et 3) évaluation des programmes au regard du critère de spécificité de l’intervention.

Résultats: Treize documents ont rencontré les critères d’inclusion et ont permis d’identifier huit programmes de transition. Les théories de ces programmes sont rarement explicites au sujet de leurs mécanismes causaux et des changements anticipés des interventions qu’ils préconisent. Néanmoins, un consensus se dégage au sujet des composantes clés de ces programmes: 1) l’implication d’une équipe multidisciplinaire, 2) l’implantation d’une intervention multimodale, 3) le développement d’un plan de réintégration, 4) l’importance d’effectuer les transitions de manière progressive, et 5) l’offre de soutien prolongé au moyen de contacts fréquents.

Conclusion: À ce jour, les programmes de réintégration scolaire à la suite d’une hospitalisation psychiatrique se font rares. Ils peuvent être difficiles à implanter en raison des défis qu’ils posent sur le plan de la collaboration interprofessionnelle et intersectorielle. Malgré cela, quatre des huit programmes identifiés sont en bonne position pour une évaluation de leur caractère prometteur. À cet effet, le recours à des devis de recherche rigoureux, comme des protocoles expérimentaux et des études de cohorte, s’avère nécessaire.

Keywords: hospitalisation psychiatrique; pratiques de transition; programmes de réintégration scolaire; psychiatric hospitalization; santé mentale des jeunes; school reintegration programs; transition practices; youth mental health.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: This study was funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSRHC), Insight Development Grant #430-2014 01036. The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart Diagram of the Selection Process
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Anthony WA. Recovery from mental illness: The guiding vision of the mental health service system in the 1990’s. Psychoso Rehab J. 1993;16(4):11–23. doi: 10.1037/h0095655. - DOI
    1. Blader JC. Symptom, family, and service predictors of children’s psychiatric rehospitalization within one year of discharge. J Am Acad Child and Adolesc Psychiatry. 2004;43(4):440–451. doi: 10.1097/00004583-200404000-00010. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Fontanella CA. The influence of clinical, treatment, and healthcare system characteristics on psychiatric readmission of adolescents. Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2008;78(2):187–98. doi: 10.1037/a0012557. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. James S, Charlemagne SJ, Gilman AB, Alemi Q, Smith RL, Tharayil PR, et al. Post-discharge services and psychiatric rehospitalization among children and youth. Adm Policy Ment Health. 2010;37(5):433–45. doi: 10.1007/s10488-009-0263-6. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kagabo R, Kim J, Hashibe M, Kleinschmit K, Clark C. Predictors of hospital readmission for children with psychiatric illness who have received an initial course of treatment. J Psychiatry Ment Health. 2016;1(2):1–7. doi: 10.16966/2474-7769.109. - DOI

LinkOut - more resources