Factors associated with inpatient length of stay for children and adolescents with serious mental illness

This study describes the distribution and length of stay (LOS) for children and adolescents in inpatient psychiatric facilities and identifies factors associated with LOS. The data ore from the 1986 Client/Patient Sample Surv ey, a nationally representative survey conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health. The median national LOS, weighted to population levels, i s more than two months for children compared with approximately two and one -half weeks for adolescents. The most important determinants of LOS are typ e of facility, age, insurance coverage, ethnicity, treatment history, and d iagnosis.