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Characteristics of Inpatients With a History of Recurrent Psychiatric Hospitalizations: A Matched-Control Study

The authors are affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut. Send correspondence to Dr. Sledge at the Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, Yale New Haven Psychiatric Hospital, 184 Liberty St., New Haven, CT 06519 (e-mail: william.sledge{at}yale.edu).

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the association between patient characteristics and inpatient hospitalization among patients with a history of recurrent psychiatric hospitalizations (two or more hospitalizations in the 18 months before the index hospitalization) (N=75) and patients without such a history (N=75). METHODS: Characteristics at the time of the index hospitalization and 48-month inpatient utilization rates (24 months before and 24 months after the index hospitalization) were extracted from medical records. Backwards stepwise regression models were used to identify characteristics independently associated with inpatient utilization. RESULTS: Psychotic disorder and unemployment at the time of index hospitalization were independently associated with higher inpatient utilization over the 48 months. Only the number of hospitalizations in the prior 24 months predicted the number of readmissions after the index hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: Psychosis and unemployment seem to have an independent effect on the number of hospitalizations.

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