Post-traumatic growth, resilience, perceived social support, and coping style among parents of very low birth weight infants

Background Post-traumatic growth (PTG) can guide parents to cherish life more deeply, thereby improving the quality of care they provide to their children. However, despite evidence linking a psychological resilience with PTG, the processes through which aspects of resilience influences PTG remain unclear. This study investigated the mediating role of perceived social support and coping styles in the relationship between resilience and PTG. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 344 parents of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care units of nine hospitals at level two or above in Fujian Province were selected by convenience sampling. Five self-reported questionnaires were completed by the participants. The data were analyzed using SAS 9.4. Structural equation modeling was employed to determine the relationships between the components using AMOS 24.0. Results Psychological resilience can directly influence PTG (effect = 1.598, 95% CI = 1.388–1.824, p < 0.05) or indirectly affect it through the mediating role of positive coping style (effect = 0.039, 95% CI = 0.009–0.079, p < 0.05). Meanwhile, perceived social support can only influence PTG through a positive coping style (effect = 0.020, 95% CI = 0.004–0.047, p < 0.05). Conclusion This study provides further insight into the importance of strengthening resilience, providing support, and developing positive coping strategies from nurses and healthcare providers for promoting PTG among VLBW infants’ parents. It is especially important to implement interventions directly targeting the enhancement of resilience among parents of VLBW infants

Health care · Low birth weight · Psychological intervention · Psychological resilience · Social support · Infant Development and Preterm Care · Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum · Neonatal Respiratory Health Research

• Resilience to Loss and Potential Trauma

  George A Bonanno, Maren Westphal et al.•Annual Review of Clinical…•2011

  Añadir item

• Social Connection as a Public Health Issue

  Open Access•Julianne Holt-Lunstad•Annual Review of Public Health•2022

  Añadir item

• Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis

  Li‐tze Hu, Peter M Bentler•Structural Equation Modeling: A…•1999

  Añadir item

• Loss, Trauma, and Human Resilience

  George A Bonanno•American Psychologist•2004

  Añadir item

• Target Article

  Richard G Tedeschi, Lawrence G Calhoun•Psychological Inquiry•2004

  Añadir item

• The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement

  Open Access•Erik Von Elm, David G Altman et al.•The Lancet•2007

  Añadir item

• The posttraumatic growth inventory

  Open Access•Richard G Tedeschi, Lawrence G Calhoun•Journal of Traumatic Stress•1996

  Añadir item

• Post-traumatic growth and influencing factors among parents of premature infants

  Open Access•Fang Wang, Shuo Zhang et al.•BMC Psychology•2023

  Añadir item

• Reciprocal Influence of Depressive Symptoms Between Mothers and Fathers During the First Postpartum Year

  Open Access•Erica Neri, Sara Giovagnoli et al.•Frontiers in Psychiatry•2020

  Añadir item

• Factor Analysis and Psychometric Evaluation of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (Cd-Risc) With Chinese People

  Open Access•Nancy Xiaonan Yu, Xiaonan Yu et al.•Social Behavior and Personality…•2006

  Añadir item