Adjustment Disorder in Women: Prevalence, Risk & Key Differences

Key things to know What the evidence shows
How common is it? High-risk Zurich sample: 17.2% 12-month ICD-11 AjD
Is it more common among women? Some studies show higher symptom burden than men, but full AjD sex difference is not consistently significant
Are women at higher risk? #N/A
How much higher is the risk? Zurich core symptoms women vs men OR 1.9, but full AjD OR 1.3, NS
How often can it be missed? High
Does it show up differently among women? Somewhat
How might it look different? Anxiety/depressed mood after relationship, work, caregiving or health stressors may be mislabeled as MDD/GAD
What commonly occurs alongside it? Depression; anxiety; PTSD; substance use
What can it be confused with? Normal stress response; MDD; GAD; PTSD; prolonged grief
Common screening tool ADNM-20 — Adjustment Disorder–New Module-20
Separate screening tool for women None
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