Religious Coping Styles and Psychological Resilience Among Mothers of Children Hospitalized in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: A Cross-Sectional Study

Taner  Adıgüzel; Mehmet  Bahçekapılı

doi:10.18502/ijps.v21i2.21218

Taner Adıgüzel Department of Child Health and Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Yalova University, Yalova, Türkiye.
Mehmet Bahçekapılı Department of Religious Education, Faculty of Theology, Yalova University, Yalova, Türkiye.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijps.v21i2.21218

Keywords: Mothers; Pediatric Intensive Care Units; Psychosocial Support; Psychological Resilience; Religiosity Copings

Abstract

Objective: To determine levels of positive/negative religious coping and psychological resilience among mothers of children admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and to examine their associations with sociodemographic characteristics and perceived psychosocial support needs.

Method: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted between June and December 2025 in a pediatric intensive care unit; 100 mothers were recruited via face-to-face interviews. Data were collected using a sociodemographic form, the Brief RCOPE (positive/negative subscales), and the Brief Resilience Scale.

Results: Scores for Positive religious coping were high (mean = 3.20 ± 0.60), negative religious coping was low (mean = 1.55 ± 0.50), and resilience scores were moderate (mean = 19.35 ± 5.18). Mothers who reported needing psychosocial support had higher positive and negative religious coping scores but lower resilience. Negative religious coping was negatively associated with resilience (r = −0.246, P = 0.014), whereas positive religious coping was not.

Conclusion: The findings suggest that, in addition to psychosocial support, targeted spiritual care may be particularly important for mothers showing elevated negative religious coping during their child’s PICU hospitalization.