Follow-up of children treated in psychiatric hospitals: a review of studies

Approximately 15,000 children are currently in residential psychiatric treatment in the United States. Their response to treatment and their long-term adaptation remain only partially understood. The authors review 24 child inpatient follow-up studies and discuss their methodologies. Findings are presented along 10 dimensions relevant to long-term outcome. Good prognosis was positively correlated with adequate intelligence, nonpsychotic and nonorganic diagnoses, absence of antisocial features and bizarre symptoms, healthy family functioning, adequate length of stay, and involvement in aftercare. The authors discuss factors suggesting caution in the interpretation of these findings. They emphasize the importance of longitudinal research in developing empirically based, increasingly effective treatment programs.