TY - JOUR
T1 - Risk and protective factors, stressors, and symptoms of adjustment disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic–First results of the ESTSS COVID-19 pan-European ADJUST study
AU - ADJUST Study Consortium
AU - Lotzin, Annett
AU - Krause, Linda
AU - Acquarini, Elena
AU - Ajdukovic, Dean
AU - Ardino, Vittoria
AU - Arnberg, Filip
AU - Böttche, Maria
AU - Bragesjö, Maria
AU - Dragan, Małgorzata
AU - Figueiredo-Braga, Margarida
AU - Gelezelyte, Odeta
AU - Grajewski, Piotr
AU - Anastassiou-Hadjicharalambous, Xenia
AU - Javakhishvili, Jana Darejan
AU - Kazlauskas, Evaldas
AU - Lenferink, Lonneke
AU - Lioupi, Chrysanthi
AU - Lueger-Schuster, Brigitte
AU - Tsiskarishvili, Lela
AU - Mooren, Trudy
AU - Sales, Luisa
AU - Stevanovic, Aleksandra
AU - Zrnic, Irina
AU - Schäfer, Ingo
AU - Lotzin, Annett
AU - Acquarini, Elena
AU - Ajdukovic, Dean
AU - Anastassiou-Hadjicharalambous1, Xenia
AU - Ardino, Vittoria
AU - Makhashvili, Nino
AU - Soydas, Suzan
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Background: The COVID-19 pandemic exposes individuals to multiple stressors, such as quarantine, physical distancing, job loss, risk of infection, and loss of loved ones. Such a complex array of stressors potentially lead to symptoms of adjustment disorder. Objective: This cross-sectional exploratory study examined relationships between risk and protective factors, stressors, and symptoms of adjustment disorder during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Data from the first wave of the European Society of Traumatic Stress Studies (ESTSS) longitudinal ADJUST Study were used. N = 15,563 participants aged 18 years and above were recruited in eleven countries (Austria, Croatia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, and Sweden) from June to November 2020. Associations between risk and protective factors (e.g. gender, diagnosis of a mental health disorder), stressors (e.g. fear of infection, restricted face-to-face contact), and symptoms of adjustment disorder (ADNM-8) were examined using multivariate linear regression. Results: The prevalence of self-reported probable adjustment disorder was 18.2%. Risk factors associated with higher levels of symptoms of adjustment disorder were female gender, older age, being at risk for severe COVID-19 illness, poorer general health status, current or previous trauma exposure, a current or previous mental health disorder, and longer exposure to COVID-19 news. Protective factors related to lower levels of symptoms of adjustment disorder were higher income, being retired, and having more face-to-face contact with loved ones or friends. Pandemic-related stressors associated with higher levels of symptoms of adjustment disorder included fear of infection, governmental crisis management, restricted social contact, work-related problems, restricted activity, and difficult housing conditions. Conclusions: We identified stressors, risk, and protective factors that may help identify individuals at higher risk for adjustment disorder.
AB - Background: The COVID-19 pandemic exposes individuals to multiple stressors, such as quarantine, physical distancing, job loss, risk of infection, and loss of loved ones. Such a complex array of stressors potentially lead to symptoms of adjustment disorder. Objective: This cross-sectional exploratory study examined relationships between risk and protective factors, stressors, and symptoms of adjustment disorder during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Data from the first wave of the European Society of Traumatic Stress Studies (ESTSS) longitudinal ADJUST Study were used. N = 15,563 participants aged 18 years and above were recruited in eleven countries (Austria, Croatia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, and Sweden) from June to November 2020. Associations between risk and protective factors (e.g. gender, diagnosis of a mental health disorder), stressors (e.g. fear of infection, restricted face-to-face contact), and symptoms of adjustment disorder (ADNM-8) were examined using multivariate linear regression. Results: The prevalence of self-reported probable adjustment disorder was 18.2%. Risk factors associated with higher levels of symptoms of adjustment disorder were female gender, older age, being at risk for severe COVID-19 illness, poorer general health status, current or previous trauma exposure, a current or previous mental health disorder, and longer exposure to COVID-19 news. Protective factors related to lower levels of symptoms of adjustment disorder were higher income, being retired, and having more face-to-face contact with loved ones or friends. Pandemic-related stressors associated with higher levels of symptoms of adjustment disorder included fear of infection, governmental crisis management, restricted social contact, work-related problems, restricted activity, and difficult housing conditions. Conclusions: We identified stressors, risk, and protective factors that may help identify individuals at higher risk for adjustment disorder.
KW - adjustment disorder
KW - coronavirus
KW - COVID-19
KW - disaster
KW - mental health
KW - pandemic
KW - post-traumatic stress
KW - protective factors
KW - risk factors
KW - stress-related disorders
KW - stressors
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85117383998&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/20008198.2021.1964197
DO - 10.1080/20008198.2021.1964197
M3 - Article
C2 - 34992755
AN - SCOPUS:85117383998
SN - 2000-8198
VL - 12
JO - European Journal of Psychotraumatology
JF - European Journal of Psychotraumatology
IS - 1
M1 - 1964197
ER -