Treatment Outcomes for Hospitalized Adolescents: Considering Borderline Personality Disorder Traits as a Predictor of Poor Outcomes

Date of Award

5-21-2016

Document Type

Undergraduate Capstone Project

Degree Name

Psy.D.

Organizational Unit

Graduate School of Professional Psychology

First Advisor

Laura Meyer

Second Advisor

Jennifer A. Erickson Cornish

Third Advisor

Alyssa Oland

Keywords

Adolescent suicidal behavior, Borderline Personality Disorder, Inpatient psychiatric hospitalization, Inpatient treatment

Abstract

The relationship between r (BPD) suadolescent suicidal behavior suggests the need to explore whether specific BPD traits are related to treatment outcomes. This question is particularly critical given recent changes in the structure of inpatient psychiatric hospitalization, specifically the shift from long-term institutionalized care to an acute stabilization approach. This change has contributed to the emergence of new trends, including an increase in re-hospitalizations. However, existing research on the effectiveness of both inpatient treatment and partial hospitalization for adolescents is conflicted and not currently generalizable to the new model of inpatient care. Additionally, studies have found that inpatient treatment is no more effective at reducing suicide risk than outpatient care. The current study explored whether BPD traits predicted treatment outcomes for adolescents at an inpatient psychiatric unit and/or psychiatric day treatment (partial hospitalization) program within a children’s hospital. Admission and discharge questionnaires from 47 adolescent psychiatric inpatient and/or day treatment patients were used to test the hypothesis that BPD traits would predict poor treatment outcomes more accurately than trauma history and prior hospitalizations. Although the regression model was not significant, meaningful correlations were found between BPD traits and self-reported symptoms at both admission and discharge. This relationship suggests that adolescents with BPD traits may report relatively more symptoms of distress or dysfunction at admission and discharge from hospitalization and that, therefore, they may have unique treatment needs. Further research is needed to examine the effectiveness of psychiatric hospitalization for adolescent patients.

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. Permanently suppressed.

Extent

29 pages

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