Making Sense Together: An Exploration of Family Communication and Well-Being in Adult Haemodialysis Care

This study aims to explore how family communication dynamics shape well-being within families in the context of adult haemodialysis (HD). A qualitative exploratory study informed by social constructionism and family systems theory. Sixteen adults receiving HD and nine family members from two Danish units were interviewed individually or jointly. Family communication functioned as a regulatory process through which roles and meanings were negotiated. When emotional expressions were met with attunement and validation, relational coherence and well-being were strengthened. When responses were dismissive or avoidant, this contributed to relational strain and reduced well-being. Health care encounters entered these dynamics as relational events that could either redistribute uncertainty through shared interpretation or reinforce withdrawal when information was individually carried. Family well-being in HD was shaped by communicative dynamics beyond kidney health demands alone. The Cycle of Family Communication illustrates how interactions foster coherence or strain and influence future communication. Recognising communication as a relational process may support relational attunement and shared meaning-making.