[Symptoms of Adjustment Disorder after an accidental injury: risk and protective factors]. / Symptome einer Anpassungsstörung nach einer Unfallverletzung: Risiko- und Schutzfaktoren.

Symptoms of Adjustment Disorder after an accidental injury: risk and protective factors Objectives: The identification of protective and risk factors for symptoms of adjustment disorder (AD) after an accident injury. Methods: In this prospective long-term study, data from 73 patients with ankle and lower leg fractures were analyzed. Symptoms of AD were assessed at enrollment (T0), 1 month (T1) and 12 months (T2) after injury. In addition, questionnaires regarding adverse childhood experiences, coping strategies and the number of stressors during the last year were obtained. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) was conducted at T1 and T2. Results: 4.1 % of patients met the criteria for AD at T1 and 2.7 % at T2. Acceptance coping predicted a lower level of AD symptoms 1 year after the injury (ß = -.42, p <.001). Conclusions: It could be confirmed that the selection of coping strategies predicts the level of AD symptoms 12 months after the injury. The results show that acceptance is a protective factor for AD and contribute to a better understanding of a little-researched diagnosis.

[Psychological factors following ankle fractures : A review article]. / Psychische Faktoren bei Sprunggelenkfrakturen : Ein Übersichtsartikel.

Ankle fractures have many short and long-term consequences for patients. For this reason, psychosocial factors also play a role in the success of the treatment in addition to the surgical treatment. The aim of this article is to give an overview of the psychological aspects in the context of fractures as well as explanatory models for the different ways of coping. In addition, an overview of the empirical data with respect to psychological influences and outcome factors in lower extremity fractures, specifically ankle fractures, is given. The current research indicates that psychosocial factors have a decisive influence on the physical and psychological outcome.

A case series of 223 patients with depersonalization-derealization syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Depersonalization-derealization syndrome (DDS) is an underdiagnosed and underresearched clinical phenomenon. In Germany, its administrative prevalence is far below the threshold for orphan diseases, although according to epidemiological surveys the diagnosis should be comparable frequent as anorexia nervosa for instance. Against this background, we carried out a large comprehensive survey of a DDS series in a tertiary mental health center with a specialized depersonalization-derealization clinic. To reveal differential characteristics, we compared the DDS patients, who consulted the specialized depersonalization-derealization clinic, with a group of patients with depressive disorders without comorbid DDS from the regular outpatient clinic of the mental health center. METHODS: The sample comprised 223 patients with a diagnosis of depersonalization-derealization-syndrome and 1129 patients with a depressive disorder but without a comorbid diagnosis of DDS. DDS patients were described and compared with depressive outpatients in terms of sociodemographic characteristics, treatment history, treatment wishes, clinical symptomatology, prevailing psychosocial stressors, family history of common mental disorders and history of childhood trauma. RESULTS: Despite the high comorbidity of DDS patients with depressive disorders and comparable burden with symptoms of depression and anxiety, the clinical picture and course of both patient groups differed strongly. DDS patients were younger, had a significant preponderance of male sex, longer disease duration and an earlier age of onset, a higher education but were more often unemployed. They tended to show more severe functional impairment. They had higher rates of previous or current mental health care utilization. Nearly all DDS patients endorsed the wish for a symptom specific counseling and 70.7 % were interested in the internet-based treatment of their problems. DDS patients had lower levels of self-rated traumatic childhood experiences and current psychosocial stressors. However, they reported a family history of anxiety disorders more often. CONCLUSION: In consideration of the selection bias of this study, this case series supports the view that the course of the DDS tends to be long-lasting. DDS patients are severely impaired, utilizing mental health care to a high degree, which nevertheless might not meet their treatment needs, as patients strongly opt for obtaining disorder specific counseling. In view of the size of the problem, more research on the disorder, its course and its optimal treatment is urgently required.

Symptoms of adjustment disorder and smoking predict long-term functional outcome after ankle and lower leg fracture.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the psychological, social, behavioural and injury-related factors impacting functional outcome in patients with ankle or lower limb fracture one year post-operation. METHODS: In this prospective study 66 patients with ankle or lower leg fracture were recruited and followed up one year post-operation. Possible associations between predictors and functional outcome were explored by regression analyses. Functional outcome was assessed with the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society Ankle-Hindfoot Score. RESULTS: Linear regression models revealed that smoking and elevated symptoms of adjustment disorder were associated with lower functional outcome one year post-operation. Fracture type, depressive symptoms and quality of relationship had no effect on functional outcome. A second linear regression revealed that preoccupations were correlated with functional outcome. CONCLUSION: Smoking and symptoms of adjustment disorder, specifically preoccupations, are associated with functional outcome one year post-operation in patients recovering from ankle or lower leg fractures. The results support the notion that differences in functional recovery are attributable to psychological and behavioural factors rather than to fracture type. Psychological, fracture-specific, symptoms play a role in functional recovery rather than general affective symptoms.