Factors related to length of psychiatric hospital stay of children and adolescents: A nationwide register study

Hospital discharge register information was collected on length of stay (LO S) of all those children and adolescents less than 18 years old in psychiat ric inpatient treatment in 1990 (n = 818) and 1993 (n = 958) in Finland. Th e predictors for LOS > 60 days included previous psychiatric inpatient trea tment, involuntary treatment, and treatment in adolescent psychiatric unit. No psychiatric diagnosis was associated with shorter LOS. Girls and the un der-schoolage group had significantly shorter LOS. There were only rather m inor differences in LOS between different diagnostic groups.