YOUTH WITH CHRONIC CONDITIONS AND THEIR TRANSITION TO ADULTHOOD - FINDINGS, FROM A FINNISH COHORT STUDY

Objective: To explore the effect of chronic health conditions in adole scence on eventual transitional paths and young adult functioning in a cohort of Finnish youths. Design: Survey in school at age 16 years fo llowed by postal questionnaire at age 22 years. Methods: Youths who ha d reported persistent chronic conditions at ages 16 and 22 years were compared with peers without chronic health conditions, using two-way a nalysis of variance for continuous outcomes and logistic regression mo dels for dichotomous outcomes, adjusting for socioeconomic differences . Main Outcome Measures: Health status, chronic conditions, personal c haracteristics (including self-esteem), health behavior, education, fa mily background, personal relations, and depression. Results: Adolesce nts with chronic health conditions attained levels of psychosocial wel l-being, education, and marriage or dating as young adults similar to their peers without chronic conditions. Most of them experienced a suc cessful transition to adulthood. Females with chronic conditions were more likely than women without chronic conditions to have moved away f rom their family of origin and to be living with a spouse or steady pa rtner. Our findings also suggest that males with chronic conditions fr om white-collar family backgrounds may be at increased risk for sympto ms of depression in early adulthood. Youths with chronic conditions ha d similar rates of nicotine and alcohol consumption as their healthy p eers. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that in this cohort, most adole scents with common chronic conditions had a successful transition to a dulthood.