Caregiver stress: A failed negotiation? A qualitative study in South West France

The purpose of this work is to analyze the various negotiations involved in setting up and developing a caregiving relationship with a disabled elderl y person, to understand the processes inducing caregiver stress. Within the conceptual framework defined by the paradigm of negotiation, this study us es the theoretical contributions of the parallelist theory and the theory o f the gift. It is based on a qualitative inquiry including fifty-four careg ivers conducted in Toulouse (South West France). The analysis focuses on tw o undersystems of the caregiver's relationships: 1) the caregiver/cared-for 's relationship, which is characterized by the establishment and maintenanc e of a "tacit contract" and 2) the relationships with other eligible caregi vers, which are marked by the "designation" of the principal caregiver. Thi s analysis shows that a failure in the negotiation process can induce a des ignation and/or a weak tacit contract-the result of which is the caregiver' s expression of stress. This expression is closely linked to the caregiver' s perception of a negative balance in his/her exchanges with the partners. This study should help break away from the one-way arrow model currently do minating the field of caregiver stress research.