What term describes the tension experienced by family caregivers balancing caregiving and other roles?

The term that describes the tension experienced by family caregivers balancing caregiving responsibilities with other roles is role conflict. This occurs when an individual faces competing demands from different roles they hold. For caregivers, the challenge often lies in managing their caregiving duties while also fulfilling obligations related to work, relationships, and personal time.

In this context, role conflict arises because the responsibilities of caregiving can interfere with other areas of life, creating stress and apprehension as the caregiver struggles to meet the expectations associated with multiple roles. This is particularly common among family caregivers who may feel pulled in different directions as they try to allocate time and energy to both caregiving and their own needs or other commitments.

While cognitive dissonance refers to the mental discomfort experienced when a person holds conflicting beliefs or attitudes, social isolation deals with feelings of loneliness and disconnection from others, and burnout describes a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress—none of these terms specifically capture the unique struggle of managing multiple competing roles. Thus, role conflict is the most appropriate term to describe the specific tension family caregivers experience in this scenario.