The Forms and Mechanisms of Stress Proliferation: The Case of AIDS Caregivers

Processes of stress proliferation are explored in a sample of informal caregivers to people with AIDS. Proliferation refers to the tendency for stressors to beget stressors. Two forms of proliferation are explored, each based on the distinction between primary and secondary stressors. Among AIDS caregivers, primary stressors are the hardships rooted in the caregiving role. Secondary stressors result from primary stressors, but arise in roles and activities outside of caregiving. One form of proliferation is the expansion of primary stressors, reflected in an increase in role overload and a growing sense of being a captive of the caregiver role. Expansion is largely driven by the course of AIDS and the elevation of demands it places on the caregiver. The second form of proliferation is the surfacing of secondary stressors in social and leisure life and in the occupational realm. This form arises from the strains imposed by the emerging caregiver role on the other roles and activities of the caregiver. It is proposed that the systematic assessment of proliferated stressors can help illuminate the dynamic connections between stress and health.