Growing Through Loss: Social Support and Resilience in Adolescents Facing Parental Death

Abstract

Adolescents who experience parental bereavement are at increased risk for emotional and psychological difficulties, making it essential to identify factors that support their adaptive functioning. The loss of a parent is a critical life stressor that can interfere with the achievement of developmental milestones, but the empirical focus on social support as a protective factor for resilience in Indonesian youth remains limited. This study examined the association between social support and resilience among adolescents who had lost one or both parents. Participants were 232 adolescents aged 18–22 years recruited through purposive sampling. Data were collected using the Social Support Scale and the Resilience Scale and analyzed with Spearman’s rho. Results indicated a small but significant positive association between social support and resilience (ρ = .146, p = .027). Social support accounted for 1.8% of the variance in resilience. Practically, these findings underscore the need for targeted social interventions and peer-support programs to bolster resilience during the bereavement process. This study contributes to clinical psychology by highlighting that even modest external support can serve as a foundation for psychological recovery in bereaved adolescents.