Post-traumatic growth, resilience, perceived social support, and coping style among parents of very low birth weight infants: a multi-center, cross-sectional study

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.