The Role of Resilience and Defense Styles in Caregiver Burden Among the Mothers of Children with Cancer: A Descriptive-Correlational Study

Background: The diagnosis of childhood cancer can be considered a multidimensional crisis for parents, particularly mothers. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the predictive role of defense styles and resilience in the caregiver burden experienced by mothers of children with cancer. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study focuses on mothers of children with cancer who were hospitalized in the pediatric wards of Seyed al-Shohada Hospital in Isfahan, Iran. A total of 136 participants were selected using convenience sampling. The study utilized the Defense Styles Questionnaire (DSQ-40), the Zarit Burden Scale (ZBS), and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) to collect data. The data were analyzed using STATA16. Results: On average, mothers had a caregiver burden score of 38.65 and a resilience score of 93.51. The majority of mothers (62.5%) exhibited neurotic defensive styles. The regression test results indicated a significant inverse relationship between caregiver burden and resilience (P = 0.002), as well as a significant relationship between the child’s sex and caregiver burden (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Based on the study's findings, it is recommended that counseling and psycho-cognitive programs be designed, developed, implemented, and evaluated to enhance the resilience of mothers of children with cancer and thereby reduce their caregiver burden.