Mood Emot 2024 Nov; 22(3): 103-110   https://doi.org/10.35986/me.2024.22.3.103
Differentiating Adjustment Disorder from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Symptom Survey of Psychiatric Outpatients in South Korea
Taejin Park, MD1 , Daeho Kim, MD, PhD1,2
1Department of Psychiatry, Hanyang University Medical Center, 2Department of Psychiatry, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
Correspondence to: Daeho Kim, MD, PhD
Department of Psychiatry, Hanyang University College of Medicine, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul 04763, Korea
TEL +82-2-2290-8430 FAX +82-2-2988-2055 E-mail dkim9289@hanyang.ac.kr ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6834-6775
Received: August 1, 2024; Accepted: October 10, 2024; Published online: November 30, 2024.
© Korean Society for Affective Disorders. All rights reserved.

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Background: This study aims to delineate the characteristic features of adjustment disorder (AjD) from those of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and assess the discriminant validity of Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM)-5 PTSD measures by comparing self-reported data from an outpatient cohort.
Methods: The study participants included psychiatric outpatients at a university-affiliated hospital in South Korea. Psychological assessments comprised the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5, the National Stressful Events Survey-PTSD Short Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory-II, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the Insomnia Severity Index, and the Short Form-8 Health Survey.
Results: A total of 149 responses (51 participants with AjD and 98 with PTSD) were analyzed. It was observed that workplace conflict was the most common stressor among AjD patients (29%), while traffic accidents were the primary trauma source for PTSD patients (39%). Individuals with AjD reported significantly lower levels of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and insomnia symptoms, along with a higher quality of life. After controlling for educational level as a covariate, the differences in PTSD and depressive symptoms remained significant.
Conclusion: The findings of this study support the discriminant validity of DSM-5 PTSD measures for AjD and reinforce the notion that that AjD represents a milder form within the stress response spectrum.
Keywords: Adjustment disorder; Post-traumatic stress disorder; Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-5; Measurement; Diagnosis

  • Search

This Article


Funding Information

Services
Social Network Service

Archives