Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry · Sep 1996
Risk factors for presenting problems in child psychiatric emergencies.
To determine demographic and school-related risk factors for psychiatric emergencies presented by children in a hospital emergency room serving the majority of an urban community. ⋯ These findings are consistent with previously reported risk factors for suicidal behaviors and externalizing disorders. The distinctive profiles of risk discerned for the different groups of emergency room psychiatric subjects also suggest some degree of specificity for the risk factors associated with each class of presenting problem. They also suggest the importance of home and school environments as being variably either risk or protective factors for these presenting problems. The findings also suggest a role for hospitalization in the prevention of future suicidality.