Conceptions of life situation among next-of-kin of haemodialysis patients.

The presence of renal disease in a family is a strain on both the patient and the next-of-kin, affecting their life situations. Surprisingly, few studies dealing with the ways that the next-of-kin experience their situation are available. The aim of this study was to describe how the next-of-kin of haemodialysis patients conceive their life situation. Data were collected by interviewing 12 people who live with someone with dialysis-treated renal disease and analysed according to a qualitative method inspired by the phenomenographic approach. Six description categories of how the subjects construed their life situation emerged: a feeling of confinement; a feeling of social isolation; a feeling that the way of life has changed; a feeling of security in life; a feeling of a threatening future; and promoting health. The next-of-kin generally expressed a large degree of commitment to and concern for the sick person. In spite of their life situation having been dramatically changed, the next-of-kin described an ability to adapt. With the help of society the feelings of confinement and social isolation can be dispersed, enabling the next-of-kin to promote the health of the sick person. A suggestion for further research is to study what adaptation strategies next-of-kin use in their life situation.