Risk and resilience: Factors affecting adjustment disorder symptoms in emerging adults

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Objective: Adjustment disorder remains underexplored, despite its clinical prevalence and potential impact on functioning. We aimed to categorise emerging adults into stressor-exposure profiles based on their stressor exposure and their subjective identification of the “most straining stressor.” We also examined whether two core symptoms of preoccupation with the stressor and failure-to-adapt were associated with distinct psychological and demographic profiles. Method: Cross-sectional online study of 877 emerging adults (aged 16-25) from New South Wales, Australia. Measures included adjustment disorder symptoms, stressor characteristics, and demographic variables, alongside substance use, psychological distress, and resilience. Results: Latent Class Analysis identified three stressor-exposure profiles, ranging from High Multiple Adversity to Low Adversity, with those in High Adversity being more likely to have experienced extreme weather events. Emerging adults who cited their own illness or assault as the “most straining stressor” had the highest adjustment disorder symptoms. Higher preoccupation with the stressor and failure-to-adapt symptoms were linked to higher depression and stress symptoms, lower resilience, and cumulative stressors, after controlling for other factors. The addition of demographic variables accounted for little incremental variance, with gender and education level notable exceptions, predicting preoccupation and failure-to-adapt, respectively. Conclusions: Findings highlight vulnerability to adjustment disorder symptoms in emerging adulthood, emphasising intrapersonal and stressor characteristics over demographics. Clinicians should consider stressor type, load, and psychological distress when identifying at-risk individuals and tailoring interventions. As emerging adults face developmental instability and societal challenges such as rising living costs, climate events, and pandemics, understanding adjustment pathways is valuable for guiding effective treatment.