Three-year follow-up of child psychiatric inpatient treatment.

Eighty child psychiatric inpatients with behavioral and emotional disorders were evaluated from multiple perspectives on admission and at 5-month and 3-year follow-ups. A majority of the patients showed a significant improvement in functioning during the 3-year follow-up. About half of the patients were functioning within clinical range at 3-year follow-up on parental (CBCL) and/or teacher (TRF) ratings. A less favorable outcome was predicted by disruptive behavioral disorder, severity of initial dysfunction, high antisocial and hyperkinetic symptoms, adoptive household and postdischarge institutional placement. Pure anxiety or affective disorder was associated with favorable outcome. Age, sex, place of treatment, and length of hospital treatment were not related to outcome variables.