Adolescent adjustment disorder: precipitant stressors and distress symptoms of 89 outpatients.
OBJECTIVE
Research on adolescent adjustment disorder (AD) is scarce. We characterized adolescent outpatients with AD in psychosocial background and treatment received compared with patients with other non-psychotic disorders (OND). Furthermore, we explored precipitant stressors, distress symptoms and behavioral problems among males and females with AD.


METHODS
Data were collected prospectively on 290 consecutive psychiatric outpatients, aged 12-22 yrs, at a secondary care clinic in Finland. DSM-III-R diagnoses were assigned, based on all available information, at the end of treatment.


RESULTS
AD was the second most common diagnosis among non-psychotic patients (31% of 290). Compared to OND-patients, those with AD were predominantly female and had less severe psychosocial impairment. In multivariate comparisons school-related stressors, problems with law and restlessness characterized males, and parental illness and internalizing symptoms females with AD. Intensity and duration of treatment of AD-patients varied widely.


CONCLUSIONS
Adjustment disorder comprised a common clinical entity among adolescent outpatients. Psychiatric assessment and treatment should be individually targeted by taking into account gender-specific stressors and distress symptoms among young people with AD.
Pelkonen
Mirjami
M
National Public Health Institute, Department of Mental Health and Alcohol Research, Helsinki, Finland. mirjami.pelkonen@ktl.fi
Marttunen
Mauri
M
Henriksson
Markus
M
Lönnqvist
Jouko
J
D000275:Adjustment Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012931:Social Environment; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications*