title: Evaluating outcomes of the child and adolescent psychiatric unit: A prospective study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aims of this prospective study are to clarify the outcomes of child psychiatric inpatient treatment and to identify factors associated with patient improvement.
  
  
  METHODS
  The attending psychiatrist used the Children's Global Assessment Scale (CGAS) to assess youths at admission to and discharge from a child and adolescent psychiatric unit in Japan(N = 126, mean age = 12.8, SD = 1.9). Hospital records gathered sociodemographic and clinical variables. In addition, youths and their primary caregivers assessed themselves using the Youth Self Report (YSR) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), respectively. Longitudinal analyses compared each scales' baseline and discharge scores. We also examined factors associated with changes in functioning (CGAS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Longitudinal comparisons revealed that CGAS, CBCL and YSR scores showed improvement over time (CGAS: t = -14.40, p = 0.00; CBCL: t = 3.80, p = 0.00; YSR: t = 2.40, p = 0.02). Linear regressions determined that the factors associated with improvement in CGAS included age, lower CGAS scores at admission, frequency of group therapy and psychiatric diagnosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This evaluation of children and adolescents in an inpatient unit demonstrated clinical improvement over time and identified factors associated with said improvement.
authors: National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo, 187-8553, Japan.
authors: Yutaro
authors: Y
authors: Setoya
authors: Kohnodai Hospital, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Japan.
authors: Kazuhiko
authors: K
authors: Saito
authors: National Center for Child Health and Development, Japan.
authors: Mari
authors: M
authors: Kasahara
authors: Kohnodai Hospital, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Japan.
authors: Kyota
authors: K
authors: Watanabe
authors: Kohnodai Hospital, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Japan.
authors: Masaki
authors: M
authors: Kodaira
authors: Kohnodai Hospital, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Japan.
authors: Masahide
authors: M
authors: Usami