Abstract
Objective: To identify the main stress factors of the family caregiver of sick in home oncologic palliative care. Methods: This is a descriptive research with a qualitative approach, conducted with 10 family caregivers of cancer patients in palliative cancer care, linked to the Home Care Service of the Ophir Loyola Hospital. Observation of home visits and return to perform of semi-structured interview was made through a script of open questions. The generated materials were submitted to Bardin Thematic Content Analysis. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee. Results: From the data analysis, two thematic categories and their respective subcategories emerged: Care stressors: from love to pain, with the subcategories: Care as a synonym of love and commitment; and Stressors of care: physical and psychological illness. Second category: Overcoming the limits of stress: coping strategies. Conclusion: It is concluded that care is developed by family caregivers with responsibility, love and commitment, and the main stressors identified are related to physical illness and psychological distress. Some caregivers seek to overcome stress through various coping strategies, others are unable to do so because they do not receive guidance.Key words: Oncology Nursing, Palliative Care, Caregivers.