ABSTRACT
Objectives
Prior studies have identified comorbidity between pediatric somatic and psychiatric diseases within specific diagnostic groups. However, population-level data on these associations and their impact on mortality and morbidity are limited. This study aimed to examine these associations in the Danish pediatric population.
Methods
We conducted a national cohort study using Danish register data, including 1,413,177 children and adolescents from 2019 to 2023. We assessed background factors, mortality, and hospital contacts across three patient groups: somatic-only, psychiatric-only, and somatic-psychiatric. A new-user design classified patients as somatic-only or psychiatric-only if they had no hospital contacts in the preceding 12 months. Patients with subsequent contacts for the other condition were reclassified into the somatic-psychiatric group.
Results
Most individuals were included in the somatic-only group (n = 532,324), with fewer in the psychiatric-only group (n = 21,501) or somatic-psychiatric group (n = 23,108). Psychiatric patients were more often boys and from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Somatic hospital contacts often involved less severe symptoms. In contrast, psychiatric contacts involved specific diagnoses, including suicide attempts. Pediatric patients with both conditions had a higher 3-year readmission risk (12.1%, 95% CI: 11.6%–12.6%) compared to somatic-only patients (9.4%, 95% CI: 9.3%–9.5%), and longer average hospital stays (6.32 vs. 1.97 h). Psychiatric patients also had significantly higher all-cause mortality.
Conclusion
Somatic hospital contacts were more common, but children with psychiatric conditions faced significantly higher mortality and morbidity. These findings are relevant amid rising pediatric psychiatric diagnoses and recent Danish policy to integrate psychiatric and somatic care. Further research is needed to replicate these findings and inform optimal resource allocation for pediatric psychiatric care.