Youth with chronic conditions and their transition to adulthood. Findings from a Finnish cohort study
R. Bussing and H. Aro
Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA.
OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of chronic health conditions in
adolescence on eventual transitional paths and young adult functioning in a
cohort of Finnish youths. DESIGN: Survey in school at age 16 years followed
by postal questionnaire at age 22 years. METHODS: Youths who had reported
persistent chronic conditions at ages 16 and 22 years were compared with
peers without chronic health conditions, using two-way analysis of variance
for continuous outcomes and logistic regression models for dichotomous
outcomes, adjusting for socioeconomic differences. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
Health status, chronic conditions, personal characteristics (including
self-esteem), health behavior, education, family background, personal
relations, and depression. RESULTS: Adolescents with chronic health
conditions attained levels of psychosocial well-being, education, and
marriage or dating as young adults similar to their peers without chronic
conditions. Most of them experienced a successful transition to adulthood.
Females with chronic conditions were more likely than women without chronic
conditions to have moved away from their family of origin and to be living
with a spouse or steady partner. Our findings also suggest that males with
chronic conditions from white-collar family backgrounds may be at increased
risk for symptoms of depression in early adulthood. Youths with chronic
conditions had similar rates of nicotine and alcohol consumption as their
healthy peers. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that in this cohort, most
adolescents with common chronic conditions had a successful transition to
adulthood.
