Educational Services and School Reintegration Supports for Youth After Acute Behavioral Health Unit Hospitalization

Youth with mental health needs significant enough to warrant inpatient psychiatric hospitalization are on the rise. After inpatient hospitalization, youth transitioning back to their school of record need continued support to promote recovery. Little empirical work has been conducted to understand the educational experiences of youth hospitalized for mental health needs. Further, there is a need to document the services provided to youth upon discharge and return to their school of record. Thus, the purpose of this empirical study is to better understand the patient population (n = 264, mean age = 14.04 years old; 70.1% White, 73.2% female) of an acute behavioral health unit in a free-standing Midwestern children's hospital and the educational services (e.g., consultation, direct instruction, support for reentry, and educational advocacy services) provided by the Hospital-Based School program prior to, during, and post-hospitalization to those students. Significant differences in educational services were identified based on some student demographic characteristics such that older students were more likely to have a 504 plan at admission, and individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders, psychosis, and other mental disorders were found to be most likely to have special education services prior to admission. Implications for practice related to improved care coordination upon reentry between hospitals and schools and the role of schools in the provision of behavioral and mental health services, limitations of the current study, and directions for future research are discussed.