Parenting stress as a predictor of age upon admission to a child psychiatric inpatient facility

The current study examined child symptoms and parenting stress as predictors of children's age upon admission to a psychiatric inpatient facility. The children (N = 252) ranged from 6 to 12 years of age; most were male (71%) and over half were African American (59%). Externalizing behavior symptoms were associated with a younger age upon admission and internalizing behavior symptoms were associated with an older age. Parental social isolation was associated with a younger child's age upon admission, whereas difficulty with parental attachment was associated with an older age.