A Comparative Study of Parental Bereavement’s Impact on Resilience, Coping Mechanisms

Abstract

It has been reported that parental bereavement impacts the whole life of a person. The aim of this study was to compare the resilience and coping mechanisms of two groups consisting of people who lost their parents at two different age groups. Sample of 160 people above the age of 18 was taken and divided into two groups. The first group contained individuals who lost their parent/s between the ages 2-7 and group 2 contained individuals who lost their parent/s between the ages 16-21. The responses were collected using convenience sampling method and participants were asked for consent beforehand. The data was analysed using SPSS. The findings suggested that individuals who lost their parents between the age 2-7 showed more emotion focused avoidant focused coping whereas individuals who lost their parents between the age 16-21 showed more problem focused coping. Findings also indicated that there is no significant difference between resilience regardless of the age when the individual suffered parental bereavement.