War orphan age at father loss and resilience in late adolescence

Background: War orphans have been reported to have unfavorable psychological outcomes; however, research on the impact of an orphan's age at father loss on later mental health and resilience is scarce.

Methods: In a sample of 50 orphans (mean age 18.9 SD ± 1.5 years, age range 16-21 years, 54%, N = 27 female) who lost their father before the age of 5 years during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992-1995), the relationships between age at father loss, sociodemographic/environmental factors, and mental health characteristics including resilience in late adolescence were assessed using Pearson correlations, t‑tests, ANOVA and regression analyses.

Results: After controlling for confounders, regression analyses revealed that younger age at father loss was independently associated with lower total resilience (p = 0.001) in late adolescence and lower acceptance of self and life (p = 0.006). Education mediated the relationship between age at father loss and later self-reported depression, with higher educational levels being associated with less depressive symptoms. Furthermore, being the only child was associated with higher total resilience (p = 0.015), personal competence (p = 0.020) and acceptance of self and life (p = 0.041).

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that very early loss of a father creates a specific vulnerability, impacting war orphans' resilience in late adolescence. Resilience-focused interventions should focus on war orphans who lost their fathers at a very young age and those having siblings.