Inpatient Psychiatric Treatment of Adolescents in a Military Setting: A 5 Year Retrospective Study

This study compared 5 years of admission data at the only active Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatient Unit in all the U.S. government's military hospitals to national databases to investigate the similarities and disparities between the two populations.

Data for this study were collected from the Adolescent Inpatient Behavioral Health Service (AIBHS) at the Alexander T. Augusta Military Medical Center and were compared with national databases. Descriptive statistics were performed to analyze the relationships between the primary outcome variable (length of stay, LOS), secondary outcome variable (Risk-Standardized Readmission Rate, RSRR) and each independent predictor variable (age, LOS, sex, fiscal year, diagnosis type, and risk of mortality).

Comparing the AIBHS data to national database data showed a similar protective effect in LOS for age (i.e., for each additional year of age, the LOS decreased) and an increased LOS based on increasing risk for self-harm and having an admission diagnosis of a psychotic disorder. There was also agreement between datasets that an increased LOS was predictive of increased RSRR. On average, the AIBHS LOS was longer (11 vs 6 days) but the RSRR was lower (3% vs 8%) when compared to national databases.

While the similarities of predictors of LOS and RSRR indicate a common driving force between the two different populations, the marked differences in LOS and RSRR warrant further research to help determine if they are related or if there is some other factor that explains the difference.