Differences in younger, middle, and older children admitted to child psychiatric inpatient services.

Sociodemographic, family-environmental, clinical, and service use differences among younger (3-6 years), middle (7-10 years), and older (11-16 years) children admitted to a child psychiatric inpatient service were examined. Data was collected retrospectively on 327 children using a 152-item chart abstraction form from the children's medical charts in years 1993, 1995, 1996, and 1997. The results suggest that younger children compared to their older counterparts come from poorer functioning families and that family-environmental, rather than clinical, diagnostic variables differentiate these groups. Implications of the findings for future research and practice are discussed.