Sjuksköterskor i beroendevården och deras erfarenheter av att möta anhöriga när deras närstående räknas som vuxen och byter vårdform

Sammanfattning: Background: When a person has a pattern of psychoactive substance and/or alcohol use that is causing damage to health family members are affected. The quality of life of parents, siblings, children, partners and other relatives may be severely impaired. When young adults transition from child/youth to adult care it involves changes for the patients as well as for relatives. To be able to support relatives, deeper knowledge is needed about the way nurses perceive the situation of relatives. Aim: The aim is to investigate how nurses perceive the situation for relatives when a person is being treated in addiction care, as well as the consequences for relatives when patients are being transferred from children/youth care to adult care.  Method: This is a qualitative study with an inductive approach. Eight semi-structured interviews have been carried out with nurses working within addiction care. The collected data was analysed according to qualitative content analysis. Result: Data analysis resulted in the formulation of two categories, with two sub-categories in each. The first category describes relatives’ situation at transition from child/youth care to adult care with two sub-categories are lack of transparency and changed life situation. The second category describes relatives’ situation with constant worry when having a relative with pattern of psychoactive substance and/or alcohol use. This category formulated with sub-categories psychological burden and social burden. Discussions: The result is discussed in relation to Afaf Ibrahim Meleis’ transition theory and other relevant research. Transition theory provides support for changed life situation of relatives within addiction care, which may be important to know in order to develop nursing care.