King's theory of goal attainment. Resolving filial caregiver role strain.

Although there is considerable literature on the types of problems encountered by caregivers, the problems faced by filial caregivers who are also health professionals has been overlooked. King's goal of nursing is to "help individuals maintain their health so they can function in their roles." Consequently, a misunderstanding of roles and distortion in perception, for whatever reason, may influence the outcome of care. King's theory provides nurses with a tangible and logical way of coping with the potentially debilitating effect of conflict between two roles or between two perceptions of a role.