Characterization of psychiatrically hospitalized college students

J Am Coll Health. 2019 Oct;67(7):654-660. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2018.1500471. Epub 2018 Oct 26.

Abstract

Objective: To characterize contemporary college students requiring psychiatric hospitalization. Participants and methods: Sociodemographic and diagnostic information was gathered retrospectively and analyzed from the electronic medical records (EMRs) of the consecutive inpatient hospitalizations of 905 college students admitted to a psychiatric inpatient unit. Results: Significantly more females compared to males experienced the following: more hospitalizations, more family and financial stressors, more depression, and less psychotic and bipolar disorder. The most frequent diagnosis was a depressive disorder, followed by bipolar disorder, psychotic disorder, and personality disorder, most frequently borderline personality disorder. Half of participants had comorbid diagnoses with substance abuse most common. More than two-thirds of students endorsed social or intimate relationship, academic, and family challenges as psychosocial stressors. In all, 15% of participants had repeat admissions. Conclusions: The present study provides demographic data from a sample of psychiatrically hospitalized college students. Findings can help improve screening and identification of decompensation in college students.

Keywords: College students; mental health; psychiatric hospitalization.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Age Factors
  • Female
  • Hospitalization / statistics & numerical data*
  • Humans
  • Interpersonal Relations
  • Male
  • Mental Disorders / epidemiology*
  • Mental Disorders / therapy*
  • Middle Aged
  • New York / epidemiology
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Sex Factors
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Students / psychology*
  • Students / statistics & numerical data
  • Universities / statistics & numerical data
  • Young Adult