FREQUENCY AND CORRELATES OF ADJUSTMENT DISORDER RELATED TO CARDIAC-SURGERY IN OLDER PATIENTS

The diagnosis of adjustment disorder is a dilemma in older medically i ll patients. The authors conducted a prospective study of older cardia c surgery patients. Semistructured interview techniques were used to d istinguish emotional impairment from physical impairment to diagnose a n adjustment disorder. Among 71 patients interviewed at three points i n time, 50.7% had an adjustment disorder. At 6 months after surgery, 3 0.6% were still showing evidence of emotional functional impairment. C ontinued impairment was related to initial severity of depressive and anxiety symptoms. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.