Investigation of resilience status among mothers of children undergoing dialysis referred to selected hospitals of medical sciences universities of Tehran

Children on dialysis need long-term care. The child's illness and the conditions associated with his/her treatment and care expose the mother to various psychological stresses. Resilience maintains good decision-making power and performance in stressful situations. The aim of this study was to investigate of resilience status among mothers of children on dialysis.

This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on all mothers of children undergoing dialysis in Children's Medical Center, Mofid Hospital, Ali Asghar Hospital and Bahrami Hospital. A total of 166 eligible mothers were selected by census and completed a two-part questionnaire including demographic information and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software version 22 at a significance level of 0.05.

The mean of resilience was 3.35 out of 4 points and was at strong level. Also, the mean of dimensions of personal competence/strength, trust in personal instincts, tolerance of negative emotions, control and spirituality in individuals were 3.37, 3.17, 3.43, 3.45 and 3.33, respectively. The resilience of mothers of children undergoing hemodialysis was significantly higher than children under peritoneal dialysis (p=0.047). There was no significant association between maternal age, maternal education, maternal status of morbidity, child age, child gender, number of children in the family and duration of dialysis and mean maternal resilience.

The resilience situation was at a good level. Due to the importance of resilience, it is recommended to provide educational and empowerment interventions for parents of children with chronic diseases.