Observed readmission timing and diagnostic profiles among high-risk adolescents and general child and adolescent inpatients: a 10-year cohort study
- 1Kertváros Pszichológiai Rendelő
Abstract
Background: Rehospitalization is a key indicator of clinical instability in child and adolescent psychiatric populations, yet most studies focus on its occurrence rather than its timing and diagnostic context. It remains unclear whether high-risk adolescents and general child and adolescent inpatient populations show distinct patterns of clinical instability beyond differences in rehospitalization frequency.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using a 10-year inpatient dataset from a national child and adolescent psychiatric center. A general inpatient cohort (N = 4016) was compared with a high-risk cohort (N = 570) defined by at least one police- or justice-related admission during the observation period. Rehospitalization rates, observed time to first readmission, length of stay, and diagnostic categories were examined.
Results: Admission-frequency distributions were broadly comparable between cohorts and did not differ significantly overall. Among rehospitalized patients, the median observed time to first readmission was 19 days in the high-risk cohort and 190 days in the general inpatient cohort. Length of stay was comparable between cohorts. Diagnostic-category distributions differed significantly between cohorts (χ²(3) = 2038.04, p < 0.001; Cramér’s V = 0.667), with externalizing and substance-related disorders predominating in the high-risk cohort (76.7%) and developmental–emotional disorders predominating in the general inpatient cohort (66.7%).
Conclusions: The two clinically defined inpatient cohorts showed different patterns of rehospitalization and diagnostic characteristics. Among rehospitalized patients, the observed median interval to first readmission was shorter in the high-risk cohort; however, this descriptive difference should be interpreted in the context of substantial baseline age differences and unequal opportunities for observing readmission within pediatric psychiatric care. These findings highlight the potential clinical relevance of considering observed readmission timing alongside diagnostic characteristics, while recognizing the limitations of unadjusted retrospective comparisons.
Related
- Attachment-Based Family Therapy for Suicidal and Depressed Adolescents in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Mimicking Juvenile Nasopharyngeal Angiofibroma in an Adolescent Ghanaian Male: A Diagnostic Pitfall.
- Adolescent depression in Chinese schools and families: a case study of 20 adolescents
- Filling the void: sense of absence as a comprehensive bridge between attachment, parent–adolescent communication, and addictive behaviors among adolescents
- Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder in Children and Adolescents: Nutritional Risk, Diagnostic Boundaries, and Multidisciplinary Care—A Narrative Review
BibTeX
@article{sofi2026observed,
title = {{Observed readmission timing and diagnostic profiles among high-risk adolescents and general child and adolescent inpatients: a 10-year cohort study}},
author = {Gyula Sófi},
journal = {Frontiers in Psychiatry},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1862976},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1862976/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Observed readmission timing and diagnostic profiles among high-risk adolescents and general child and adolescent inpatients: a 10-year cohort study
AU - Gyula Sófi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/16
JO - Frontiers in Psychiatry
DO - 10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1862976
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1862976/full
AB - Background: Rehospitalization is a key indicator of clinical instability in child and adolescent psychiatric populations, yet most studies focus on its occurrence rather than its timing and diagnostic context. It remains unclear whether high-risk adolescents and general child and adolescent inpatient populations show distinct patterns of clinical instability beyond differences in rehospitalization frequency. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using a 10-year inpatient dataset from a national child and adolescent psychiatric center. A general inpatient cohort (N = 4016) was compared with a high-risk cohort (N = 570) defined by at least one police- or justice-related admission during the observation period. Rehospitalization rates, observed time to first readmission, length of stay, and diagnostic categories were examined. Results: Admission-frequency distributions were broadly comparable between cohorts and did not differ significantly overall. Among rehospitalized patients, the median observed time to first readmission was 19 days in the high-risk cohort and 190 days in the general inpatient cohort. Length of stay was comparable between cohorts. Diagnostic-category distributions differed significantly between cohorts (χ²(3) = 2038.04, p < 0.001; Cramér’s V = 0.667), with externalizing and substance-related disorders predominating in the high-risk cohort (76.7%) and developmental–emotional disorders predominating in the general inpatient cohort (66.7%). Conclusions: The two clinically defined inpatient cohorts showed different patterns of rehospitalization and diagnostic characteristics. Among rehospitalized patients, the observed median interval to first readmission was shorter in the high-risk cohort; however, this descriptive difference should be interpreted in the context of substantial baseline age differences and unequal opportunities for observing readmission within pediatric psychiatric care. These findings highlight the potential clinical relevance of considering observed readmission timing alongside diagnostic characteristics, while recognizing the limitations of unadjusted retrospective comparisons.
SN - 1664-0640
ER -