Sources of stress reported by daughters of nursing home residents

The accounts of 31 daughters (M = 48.2 years) who had a parent living in a nursing home were examined. Data from 7 focus group discussions that explor ed the stressful experiences daughters encountered in providing care to the ir parents were content-analyzed. Eight major stressor themes were identifi ed: sense of responsibility, losses, role change, conflicting perceptions o f parent's ability, realization of own vulnerabilities, facing the unknown, lack of family support, and lack of appropriate facility care. The results shed light on the kinds of stressors these daughters faced and point to th e influence that prior family and caregiving histories may have on the daug hters' present experience.