stressful/traumatic event with clinical distress or impairment, and symptoms, but does not meet criteria for another psychiatric disorder (such as major depressive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder or other psychiatric disorders). Adjustment disorder is one of the most common psychiatric disorders yet paradoxically, the least well-understood. The aim of this rapid evidence assessment (REA) was to examine the evidence and efficacy of psychological or pharmacological interventions targeting adjustment disorder in adults. Literature searches were conducted to collect studies published from 2000-2016 that investigated the efficacy of interventions for adjustment disorder. Studies were primarily excluded because they did not have a majority sample of individuals with adjustment disorder, or the did not report on outcomes from a treatment relevant to adjustment disorder (e.g., change in adjustment disorder diagnostic status or symptom severity). Studies that met inclusion criteria were assessed for quality of methodology, risk of bias, and quantity of evidence, and the consistency, generalisability and applicability of the findings to the population of interest (eg., adults with adjustment disorder). These assessments were then collated for each adjustment disorder intervention to determine an overall ranking of level of support for each intervention. The ranking categories used in this review were consistent ‘Supported’ –clear, evidence of beneficial effect; evidence suggestive of beneficial effect ‘Promising’ – but further research required; insufficient evidence of beneficial effect; ‘Unknown’ – supported’ Clear, consistent evidence of no effect or negative/harmful effect. ‘Not – Twenty-one studies met the inclusion criteria for review. The majority of studies investigated the efficacy of psychological therapy in adjustment disorder (n = 15), with only 24% (n = 5) of the studies pharmacotherapy-based, and a single study being a combination of psychological and pharmacotherapy. The range of psychological therapies tested were diverse, with seven studies that were primarily cognitive behavioural in nature, three studies that were primarily psychodynamic, three studies that had a behavioural therapy focus, and two studies that involved relaxation techniques.
stressful/traumatic event with clinical distress or impairment, and symptoms, but does not meet criteria for another psychiatric disorder (such as major depressive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder or other psychiatric disorders). Adjustment disorder is one of the most common psychiatric disorders yet paradoxically, the least well-understood. The aim of this rapid evidence assessment (REA) was to examine the evidence and efficacy of psychological or pharmacological interventions targeting adjustment disorder in adults. Literature searches were conducted to collect studies published from 2000-2016 that investigated the efficacy of interventions for adjustment disorder. Studies were primarily excluded because they did not have a majority sample of individuals with adjustment disorder, or the did not report on outcomes from a treatment relevant to adjustment disorder (e.g., change in adjustment disorder diagnostic status or symptom severity). Studies that met inclusion criteria were assessed for quality of methodology, risk of bias, and quantity of evidence, and the consistency, generalisability and applicability of the findings to the population of interest (eg., adults with adjustment disorder). These assessments were then collated for each adjustment disorder intervention to determine an overall ranking of level of support for each intervention. The ranking categories used in this review were ‘Supported’ –clear, consistent evidence of beneficial effect; ‘Promising’ – evidence suggestive of beneficial effect but further research required; ‘Unknown’ – insufficient evidence of beneficial effect; ‘Not supported’ – Clear, consistent evidence of no effect or negative/harmful effect. Twenty-one studies met the inclusion criteria for review. The majority of studies investigated the efficacy of psychological therapy in adjustment disorder (n = 15), with only 24% (n = 5) of the studies pharmacotherapy-based, and a single study being a combination of psychological and pharmacotherapy. The range of psychological therapies tested were diverse, with seven studies that were primarily cognitive behavioural in nature, three studies that were primarily psychodynamic, three studies that had a behavioural therapy focus, and two studies that involved relaxation techniques.
Question%2012%20Adjustment%20Disorder%20Summary%20Report%202017.docx