Young adult chronic patients: empirical results on subgroups and age

The discussion about young adult chronic patients (YACPs) started in the literature in the early eighties. However, the insufficient operationalization of the YACP concept provoked some criticism. The aim of the present study was to examine whether there were operational differences between YACPs and older chronic patients, as well as between hypothesized subgroups. The results show, as expected, that the differences between YACPs and older patients correlate with age. But only the 'high-energy, high-demand' subgroup differs not only from the other YACPs but also from the older chronic patients concerning psychopathology, social functioning and their interaction with the social environment. After 35 they grow out of their typical behavior which is strongly determined by traits of borderline and antisocial personality disorder. The stigmatizing YACP label should therefore be replaced by a more precise description such as 'young long-term patients with borderline or antisocial personality traits'.