What's Stressful About Caring?¹

<jats:p>Karasek's (1979) demand‐discretion theory of job strain and satisfaction was tested in a cross‐sectional survey of informal carers of elderly people (<jats:italic>n</jats:italic>= 108) identified from a preliminary screening survey. The theory was largely supported by the findings. Multivariate analysis of variance showed that carer well‐being and satisfaction with caring work were predicted by high levels of demand arising from the needs of elderly dependents and the interaction of high demands with discretion over meeting demands. The results allow some clarification of previously inconsistent findings from caregiver well‐being research and have implications for the design of services to relieve carers of the burden of care.</jats:p>