Biographical disruption positions the onset of chronic illness as a major life disruption in which changes to body, self and resources occur (Sociology of Health & Illness, 4, 1982, 167–182). The concept has been used widely in medical sociology. It has also been subject to critique and development by numerous scholars. In this paper, we build on recent developments of the concept, particularly those taking a phenomenological approach, to argue that it can also help in understanding other disruptive health-related experiences across the life course, in this case the onset of frailty. We draw on the findings of 30 situated interviews with frail older people, relating their experiences of frailty to the concept of biographical disruption. We show that frailty shares many similarities with the experience of chronic illness. Using the lens of biographical disruption to understand frailty also offers insights relevant to recent debates around both concepts, and on the continued relevance of the idea of biographical disruption given changing experiences of health and illness, including the circumstances in which biographical disruption is more and less likely to be experienced. Finally, we reflect on the potentials and limitations of applying the concept to a health-related condition that cannot be categorised as a disease.

中文翻译：

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作为传记中断的虚弱

传记中断将慢性病的发作定位为一种主要的生活中断，其中发生身体、自我和资源的变化（健康与疾病社会学）, 4, 1982, 167–182)。这个概念在医学社会学中被广泛使用。它也受到众多学者的批判和发展。在本文中，我们基于该概念的最新发展，特别是那些采用现象学方法的发展，认为它也有助于理解整个生命过程中其他与健康相关的破坏性经历，在这种情况下是虚弱的开始。我们利用对体弱老年人进行的 30 次情境访谈的结果，将他们的虚弱经历与传记中断的概念联系起来。我们表明虚弱与慢性病的经历有许多相似之处。使用传记中断的视角来理解脆弱也提供了与最近围绕这两个概念的辩论相关的见解，以及鉴于不断变化的健康和疾病经历，包括传记中断越来越不可能经历的情况，传记中断的想法的持续相关性。最后，我们反思了将该概念应用于无法归类为疾病的健康相关病症的潜力和局限性。