Close relatives’ experiences of transitions when living with a person with traumatic brain injury
Åsa Engström, Siv Söderberg, Sweden Email: asa.engstrom@ltu.se
Background. When someone is afflicted by a traumatic brain injury (TBI) it entails a sudden change in life for their close relatives. Relatives provide the prmary support system for the person with TBI and new living patters have to be developed by the family in order to achieve balance in the new situation.
Aim. The aim of this study was to describe transitions experienced by close relatives of people with TBI.
Method. Five close relatives, all women, were interviewed.The data were analysed in
accordance with the qualitative interpretive method and performed in a series of steps in order to arrive at a description of the transition.
Findings. The findings of the analysis are presented in four categories; the starting point of transitions, transitions in pattern of daily life, transitions in relationship and transitions in social life.
Conclusion. The transition was an ongoing process for close relatives due the event when the person got the TBI. The relatives could feel lonely as former friends were gone or avoided them. How the person with TBI was met by other people strongly affected how the close relatives felt. While they struggled to lessen the dependence of the person with TBI on them, they also felt anxious about how things would be if close relatives no longer would be there for them.
