Which term represents the anticipated course of a disorder?

Which term represents the anticipated course of a disorder?

• A. Prognosis
• B. Prevalence
• C. Etiology
• D. Adaptive Functioning

Answer: (A)

Predicting how a disorder will unfold over time is prognosis. It focuses on the likely course and outcome—whether symptoms will improve, persist, or worsen, and how they might respond to treatment. This helps clinicians, patients, and families plan for care and set expectations. By contrast, prevalence tells how common the disorder is in a population, etiology concerns the causes or origins, and adaptive functioning describes how well a person can cope with daily life demands. So the term that captures the anticipated course of a disorder is prognosis.

Predicting how a disorder will unfold over time is prognosis. It focuses on the likely course and outcome—whether symptoms will improve, persist, or worsen, and how they might respond to treatment. This helps clinicians, patients, and families plan for care and set expectations.

By contrast, prevalence tells how common the disorder is in a population, etiology concerns the causes or origins, and adaptive functioning describes how well a person can cope with daily life demands. So the term that captures the anticipated course of a disorder is prognosis.