Bäckström Britt, Sundin Karin
Department of Health Sciences, Mid-Sweden University, Campus Sundsvall, Sundsvall SE-851 70, Sweden.
Int J Nurs Stud. 2009 Nov;46(11):1475-84. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2009.04.009. Epub 2009 May 27.
Living in close emotional and physical proximity to a person who has suffered a stroke may alter almost every aspect of daily living and will inevitably impact family life. Age seems to be a factor in the experiences of stroke sufferers' close relatives after the stroke.
This study aimed to illuminate the experience of being a middle-aged close relative of a person who has suffered a stroke; 1 year after the stroke sufferer's discharge from a rehabilitation clinic.
Nine middle-aged close relatives of persons with a confirmed diagnosis of a first-time stroke were consecutively included in the study and interviewed.
The narrative interviews were audio-taped, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a thematic content analysis. The study was part of a longitudinal study.
Four themes emerged from the data, intertwined and in conflict with one another. A turning point was reached, and the inevitability of an altered future became self-evident, so much so that the middle-aged close relatives felt forced to accept and become reconciled to a changed way of living, even if feelings of grief from loss were still present. The middle-aged close relatives' process of coming to awareness and recognition of their own needs was part of a complex interplay of emotions, in which they learned to leave feelings of shame and guilt behind. They experienced movement from self-denial to self-recognition in their search for their own well-being and the recovery of their strength for a functioning family life. Even if they experienced a greater sense of freedom, they still face living life within limits. A significant challenge appears to be the effects of the personality changes among the person with a stroke, and the resulting sense of being an outsider. Relatives struggled with health care providers for visibility and confirmation. Their experiences were ones of standing alone, outside a closing door to the rehabilitation. Their ability to work, the benefits of functioning home care, and support from their family helped them through these challenges.
This study highlights the middle-aged relatives' realization that they will live an inevitability altered future. Individually, the stroke sufferer's relatives need support in their relationships within the family for emotional confirmation and to help them recognize and verbalize their needs without feeling guilt; gaining these supportive factors may help the relatives to recover their sense of well-being and give strength for a future, properly functioning family life.
与中风患者在情感和身体上保持密切接触可能会改变日常生活的方方面面，并且不可避免地会影响家庭生活。年龄似乎是中风患者的近亲在患者中风后的经历中的一个因素。
本研究旨在阐明在中风患者从康复诊所出院1年后，作为其中年近亲的经历。
九名确诊为首次中风的患者的中年近亲被连续纳入研究并接受访谈。
叙事访谈进行了录音、逐字转录，并采用主题内容分析法进行分析。该研究是一项纵向研究的一部分。
数据中出现了四个主题，它们相互交织且相互冲突。转折点出现了，未来改变的必然性变得不言而喻，以至于中年近亲感到被迫接受并顺应改变的生活方式，即使失去亲人的悲痛感仍然存在。中年近亲认识和意识到自己需求的过程是复杂情感相互作用的一部分，在这个过程中他们学会了放下羞耻感和内疚感。在寻求自身幸福以及恢复力量以维持正常家庭生活的过程中，他们经历了从自我否认到自我认知的转变。即使他们体验到了更大的自由感，但他们仍然面临着受限的生活。一个重大挑战似乎是中风患者性格变化的影响以及由此产生的局外人感。亲属们与医疗保健提供者为获得关注和确认而苦苦挣扎。他们的经历是站在康复之门关闭的门外，孤立无援。他们的工作能力、有效的家庭护理以及家人的支持帮助他们度过了这些挑战。
本研究强调了中年亲属意识到他们将不可避免地生活在一个改变了的未来。就个体而言，中风患者的亲属在家庭关系中需要情感上的确认和支持，以帮助他们认识并说出自己的需求而不感到内疚；获得这些支持因素可能有助于亲属恢复幸福感，并为未来正常的家庭生活赋予力量。
