A scoping review of ICD-11 adjustment disorder research

Abstract

Background: Adjustment disorder (AjD) is one of the most used mental disorder diagnoses among mental health professionals. Important revisions of the AjD definition in the 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) are proposed. AjD is included in a chapter of disorders specifically associated with stress in ICD-11. Objective: This paper aims to review recent developments in ICD-11 AjD research, and to discuss the available ICD-11 AjD diagnosis validation studies, AjD measures, treatment studies, and outline the future perspectives for AjD research and clinical practice. Methods: In total, 10 empirical studies of AjD ICD-11 were identified and included in this review. We searched for studies in Embase, PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, PILOTS, SocINDEX, and via additional search by contacting authors of published empirical studies and reference screening. Results: Review of the studies revealed a lack of validation studies of the ICD-11 AjD symptom structure. AjD validation study findings are ambiguous, and there is still little support for the proposed two symptom structure of AjD for the ICD-11. A self-report AjD measure ‘Adjustment Disorder New Module’ (ADNM) based on the ICD-11 definition has been developed and used in all 10 reviewed studies. Two self-help interventions have been developed for the ICD-11 AjD, and findings from these studies indicate that self-help low-intensity cognitive-behavioural interventions, delivered via bibliography or internet-based, might be effective treatment of AjD. Conclusions: The AjD definition in ICD-11 with a description of a new symptom profile facilitates AjD measurement and AjD-focused treatment developments. More studies and insights from clinical practice are needed to move the field of AjD research and practice forward.

Risk factors of ICD-11 adjustment disorder in the Lithuanian general population exposed to life stressors

“…Previous studies supported the factor structure of the brief 8-item ADNM-8 measure (Kazlauskas, Zelviene, Lorenz, et al, 2017), and good psychometric characteristics of the ADNM-8 were reported in several studies (Ben-Ezra et al, 2018;Kazlauskas et al, 2018;Lorenz et al, 2018a;Zelviene et al, 2017). In this study, Cronbach's α was .89 for the total ADNM-8 scale, α = .87 was for the ADNM-8 preoccupation subscale, and α = .79 for the ADNM-8 failure to adapt subscale.…”

“…It has also been stated that the definition of ICD-10 adjustment disorder was often used as a provisional or residual diagnostic category when the reactions did not fully represent other mental disorders (Maercker et al, 2013). Therefore, new studies, testing the symptom profile of ICD-11 adjustment disorder, its prevalence, and risk factors have emerged following ICD-11 proposals for a new definition (Kazlauskas, Zelviene, Lorenz, Quero, & Maercker, 2017;Maercker et al, 2013).…”

Measuring ICD‐11 adjustment disorder: the development and initial validation of the International Adjustment Disorder Questionnaire

“…Kazlauskas et al reviewed more recent developments in ICD‐11 AjD research relating and noted that all studies used the ‘Adjustment Disorder New Module’ (ADNM) to measure ICD‐11 AjD. The ADNM is a self‐report measure developed prior to the formulation of the ICD‐11 narrative description for AjD.…”

Child maltreatment across the lifespan

“…Kazlaukas, Zelviene, Lorenz, Quero, and Maercker (2017) provide a scoping literature review on studies of the proposed revised ICD-11 conceptualization of adjustment disorder (AjD), including a brief overview of the historical background, AjD measurements, and the treatment studies. The review identifies 10 studies, which are focused on measurement validation, the latent structure of AjD, predictors of AjD, and/or treatment of AjD.…”