War orphan age at father loss and resilience in late adolescence

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.

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.

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).

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.