Outcome of short-term child psychiatric hospitalization: teacher evaluation at 5-month and 12-month follow-up

Abstract

This prospective follow-up study reports the outcome of children and adolescents discharged from short-term inpatient treatment based on teacher evaluations with Rutter's Questionnaire. There was a significant reduction in deviant behaviour between pretreatment and 5-month follow-up assessment but not between 5-month and 1-year follow-up. However, relatively few children fell within the normal range of non-clinically referred children. The child's more impaired general functioning, more frequent individual behaviour symptoms, antisociality and disengaged family interaction were associated with less favourable outcome. Pure affective or anxiety disorder predicted functioning within normal range and improvement in behaviour problems at follow-up. Treatment variables were not found to be associated with the outcome.