This paper views caregiver stress as a concequence of a process including a number of interrelated factors ; caregiver and patients` general characteristics, stress sources, mediators of stress, menifestations of stress. Stress sources are distinguished into two factors including patients` psychiatric symptoms as first stressor and caregiver burden as secondary stressor Caregiver burden fall into two categories : objective burden experienced in roles and activities for the patient`s need and psychiatric symptoms and subjective burden as a emotional reactions to the patient care and care environment. Resources and coping can potentially intervene at several points along the stress process. Resources comprise two factors : personal resource(mastery)and social support.