Abstract
The purpose of this study was to identify current trends for adolescents in acute care psychiatric hospitalization with respect to ethnicity, insurance coverage, and length of stay. Data were collected on 89 adolescents admitted to acute care psychiatric hospitalization. Contrary to previous research, adolescent clients with Medicaid, as opposed to private insurance, had longer lengths of stay and minority youths stayed significantly longer in the hospital than did white youths. No relationship was found between either clients’ diagnosis or payment source and clients’ length of stay. Implications related to the role of managed care and multicultural issues in counseling are discussed.