Health has long been a chief concern of life course researchers, especially in examining early life. Research on chronic conditions and their impact on individual identity often center on biographical disruption or the idea of a bifurcation of “before and after” identities. This research examines identity formation in young adults with chronic health conditions that began in childhood, a population that continues to grow. This study focuses on young adults’ narrative identities, both regarding how young adults describe the transition to adulthood and how cultural ideals of young adulthood and actors from institutions influence how they describe themselves. This study uses 22 in-depth qualitative interviews to reveal how young adults distance themselves from their conditions or move to acceptance through the narratives they tell about their health, feelings, and behaviors. This research suggests that identity confirmation by others forms an integral part of the nexus of health and the life course, shaping how adolescents make the transition into young adulthood. Social support from actors in institutions gives room to some young adults with chronic conditions to integrate their conditions into their narrative identities. This study reveals the social nature of young adult identities, and how cultural ideals guide them, precisely because it uses cases of young adults who must transition to adulthood in alternative ways.

长期以来，健康一直是生命历程研究人员的主要关切，特别是在检查早期生命方面。对慢性病及其对个人身份的影响的研究通常集中在传记的破坏或“前后”身份分歧的观念上。这项研究调查了从儿童期开始持续发展的慢性健康状况的年轻人的身份形成。这项研究关注年轻人的叙事身份，既涉及年轻人如何描述向成年的过渡，也涉及年轻人的文化理想和来自机构的演员如何影响他们的自我描述。这项研究使用22次深入的定性访谈，揭示了年轻人如何远离自己的境况或如何通过讲述自己的健康状况的叙述而逐渐被接受，感受和行为。这项研究表明，其他人的身份确认是健康和生活过程之间不可或缺的一部分，塑造了青少年如何过渡到成年的过程。机构中演员的社会支持为一些患有慢性病的年轻人提供了空间，使他们的病情融入其叙事身份。这项研究揭示了年轻人身份的社会性质，以及文化理想如何引导他们，正是因为它使用了必须以其他方式过渡到成年的年轻人的案例。机构中演员的社会支持为一些患有慢性病的年轻人提供了空间，使他们的病情融入其叙事身份。这项研究揭示了年轻人身份的社会性质，以及文化理想如何引导他们，正是因为它使用了必须以其他方式过渡到成年的年轻人的案例。机构中演员的社会支持为一些患有慢性病的年轻人提供了空间，使他们的病情融入其叙事身份。这项研究揭示了年轻人身份的社会性质，以及文化理想如何引导他们，正是因为它使用了必须以其他方式过渡到成年的年轻人的案例。