Abstract
Introduction: Parental resilience is essential for coping with child loss. Nevertheless, empirical evidence on the resilience of Iranian parents following child bereavement is limited. This study aimed to evaluate the resilience level of parents who lost a child in Kashan, Iran.
Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study involved 200 parents who had lost their children in Kashan, Iran. Participants were recruited through convenience and snowball sampling methods. Data were collected using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, the Coping Responses Inventory (CRI), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and a demographic characteristics questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 16. The relationship between resilience and study variables was examined using t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and linear regression.
Results: The mean resilience score was 62.70 (11.81) (range:0 -100). Linear regression analysis indicated that age, marital status, education level, religiosity, coping responses, and perceived social support were significantly associated with resilience. These variables explained 55% of the variance in parental resilience (R²=0.55).
Conclusion: The findings indicate that parental resilience demonstrated a relatively high level and was significantly associated with demographic, psychosocial, and coping-related factors. These results highlight the importance of considering these variables when designing supportive interventions for bereaved parents.