Cluster analysis was conducted to examine clinical characteristics of 10- t
o 19-year-old boys (N = 1,961) and girls (N = 1,320) with serious emotional
disturbance entering systems of care funded by the Center for Mental Healt
h Services. Subscale scores from intake assessment using the Child and Adol
escent Functional Assessment Scale and the Child Behavior Checklist were in
cluded in the cluster analyses to determine whether adolescents could be gr
ouped into identifiable patterns based on functional and behavioral charact
eristics. Three clusters were identified for each gender. Clusters differed
in the severity of subscale scores across boys and girls; however, unique
characteristics of clusters were most apparent when both functional and beh
avioral profiles were examined. Demographic and clinical characteristics we
re compared across clusters to further explore characteristics of these gro
ups. The authors make recommendations for future research on adolescents en
tering community-based system-of-care services.