Predictors of Partial Hospital Readmission for Young Children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder

• Published in: Child psychiatry and human development Vol. 49; no. 4; pp. 505 - 511
• Main Authors: Boekamp, John R., Liu, Richard T., Martin, Sarah E., Mernick, Lauren R., DeMarco, Mia, Spirito, Anthony
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-08-2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: After care; Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders - psychology; Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders - therapy; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Child; Child & adolescent psychiatry; Child and School Psychology; Child, Preschool; Children; Children & youth; Comorbidity; Conduct disorder; Depression - psychology; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Discharge; Female; Hospitalization; Humans; Male; Medical diagnosis; Mental depression; Oppositional defiant disorder; Original Article; Parental depression; Patient Readmission; Post traumatic stress disorder; Prospective Studies; Psychiatry; Psychology; Readmission; Risk Factors; Suicidal Ideation; Suicide; Suicides & suicide attempts; Treatment programs; Early childhood; Readmission; Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD); Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); Partial hospital treatment; Suicide
• ISSN: 0009-398X; 1573-3327
• DOI: 10.1007/s10578-017-0770-8

This study aimed to: (1) examine rates of readmission among young children with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) following discharge from a psychiatric partial hospital treatment program, and (2) examine child factors (i.e., age, sex, co-occurring diagnoses, suicidality) and family factors (i.e., parental depression, stress) as prospective predictors of readmission. Participants were 261 children (ages 3–7 years) who entered the study at the time of their initial program admission and who met DSM-IV criteria for ODD. Of these 261 children, 61 (23%) were subsequently readmitted, with most readmissions occurring within 1 year. Cox regression survival analyses demonstrated that younger child age, child suicidal thoughts and behavior, and child PTSD diagnosis were associated with decreased time to readmission. Findings suggest that young children with ODD who present with co-occurring suicidality or PTSD are at risk for readmission following partial hospitalization, with implications for treatment and aftercare planning.