In tackling with the consequences of stressful situations, every family has a certain set of personal atitudes of cognitive and behavioral character, that regulates the relationship between stressful occurrences and family health. The contribution is focused on identifying sources of resistance in the family by the parent’s sex in the care of chronically ill child. To collect empirical data was used a standardized questionnaire „Family Hardiness Index“ (FHI). Sample consisted of 360 parents (181 mothers and 179 fathers) who provide care of chronically sick children (aged 1 – to 5 years of age) in the family. The results in the investigation fi le (in the sample) parents that her father reported generally higher level of family resilience as a mother. Towards an eff ec- tive stress coping in the family can signifi cantly contribute the assessment and identify sources of resistance in the family and the subsequent implementation of individual interventions such as part of nursing care under the care of chronically ill child.