Family Resilience in The Face of Grief And Loss: A Systematic Review
Özge Yıldırım, Ayşegül Kılıçaslan Çelikkol
Abstract
This systematic review examines research on family resilience in the context of bereavement. Drawing on studies conducted across diverse cultural contexts, the review highlights key elements that enhance resilience, including extended family relationships, rituals, social support, cultural inluences, and structured interventions. Findings reveal the signiicant role of extended families in alleviating pressure on nuclear families, fostering shared values, and reinforcing cultural identity. Rituals are highlighted as essential mechanisms for promoting open grieving and strengthening familial bonds, while social support emerges as a universal factor enhancing coping capacity. Additionally, structured interventions, such as the Family Bereavement Program (FBP), are highlighted for their effectiveness in equipping families with tools for effective communication, emotional regulation, and long-term adaptation. These indings validate and expand upon existing theories of family resilience, providing actionable insights for practitioners and researchers. The review concludes by recommending future studies to explore the interaction of resilience-building components in diverse cultural contexts and develop intervention programs to better support bereaved families.
Keywords
family resilience
grief
loss
family adaptation
References
- *Arıcı, N., & Kaya, M. (2019). The effectiveness of family resiliency program with traumatic grief on women’s post-traumatic stress, grief, and family resiliency level. Eğitim ve Bilim, 44(197), 183–197. https://doi.org/10.15390/EB.2018.7663
- *Barboza, J., & Seedall, R. (2023). Evaluating the relationship between family resilience and grief-related symptoms: A preliminary analysis. Death Studies, 47(1), 10–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2021.1993381
- Birenbaum, L. K., Stewart, B. J., & Phillips, D. S. (1996). Health status of bereaved parents. Nursing Research, 45(2), 105–109. https://doi.org/10.1097/00006199-199603000-00009
- Boss, P. (2002). Family stress management: A contextual approach. Sage.
- Bowen, M. (1978). Family therapy in clinical practice. Jason Aronson.
- *Choi, H., Cho, C., & Lee, H. (2023). Complicated grief, PTSD, and PTG in bereaved family: Moderating effect of resilience and family support. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 28(2), 145–160. https://doi.org/10.1080/15325024.2022.2084843
- Christ, G. H., Bonanno, G., Malkinson, R., & Rubin, S. (2003). Bereavement experiences after the death of a child. In M. J. Field & R. E. Behrman (Eds.), When children die: Improving palliative and end-of-life care for children and their families (Appendix E). National Academy Press.
- *Eppler, C. (2008). Exploring themes of resiliency in children after the death of a parent. Professional School Counseling, 11(3), 189–196. https://doi.org/10.5330/PSC.n.2010-11.189
- *Greeff, A. P., & Human, B. (2004). Resilience in families in which a parent has died. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 32(1), 27–42. https://doi.org/10.1080/01926180490255765
- *Greeff, A. P., & Joubert, A. (2007). Spirituality and resilience in families in which a parent has died. Psychological Reports, 100(3), 897–900. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.100.3.897-900
- *Greeff, A. P., Vansteenwegen, A., & Herbiest, T. (2011). Indicators of family resilience after the death of a child. OMEGA – Journal of Death and Dying, 63(4), 343–358. https://doi.org/10.2190/om.63.4.c
- *Hagan, M. J., Tein, J.-Y., Sandler, I. N., Wolchik, S. A., Ayers, T. S., & Luecken, L. J. (2012). Strengthening effective parenting practices over the long term: Effects of a preventive intervention for parentally bereaved families. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 41(2), 177–188. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2012.651996
- Hawley, D. R., & DeHaan, L. (1996). Toward a definition of family resilience: Integrating lifespan and family perspectives. Family Process, 35(3), 283–298. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1545-5300.1996.00283.x
- Imber-Black, E. (1988). Rituals in families and family therapy. Norton.
- Janosik, E., & Green, E. (1992). Family life, process and practice. Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
- *Khatib, A., Laufer, A., & Finkelstein, M. (2023). Family resilience, social support, and family coherence among Jewish, Muslim, and Druze widows who lost their spouses to sudden death. Death Studies, 47(2), 211–220. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2022.2043489
- Kissane, D. (2014). Family focused grief therapy: A model of family-centered care during palliative care and bereavement. Open University Press.
- McKenry, P. C., & Price, S. J. (1994). Families and change: Coping with stressful events. Sage.
- Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., Altman, D. G., & The PRISMA Group. (2009). Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement. PLoS Medicine, 6(7), e1000097. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000097
- *Özbay, Y., & Aydoğan, D. (2019). Varlığında çocuk, yokluğunda yetişkin olmak: Baba kaybı, kardeş ilişkileri ve aile yılmazlığı. Erzincan Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 21(2), 126–143. https://doi.org/10.17556/erziefd.453746
- Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hrobjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S., … Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. Systematic Reviews, 10(1), Article 89. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-021-01626-4
- Patterson, J. M. (2002). Integrating family resilience and family stress theory. Journal of Marriage and Family, 64(2), 349–360. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2002.00349.x
- Paul, N., & Grosser, G. (1965). Operational mourning and its role in conjoint family therapy. Community Mental Health Journal, 1(4), 339–345. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01434390
- *Sandler, I., Ayers, T. S., Tein, J.-Y., Wolchik, S., Millsap, R., Khoo, S. T., … Coxe, S. (2010–a). Six-year follow-up of a preventive intervention for parentally bereaved youths. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 164(10), 907–914. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpediatrics.2010.173
- *Sandler, I. N., Ma, Y., Tein, J.-Y., Ayers, T. S., Wolchik, S., Kennedy, C., & Millsap, R. (2010–b). Long-term effects of the family bereavement program on multiple indicators of grief in parentally bereaved children and adolescents. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 78(2), 131–143. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018393
- *Scheepers, L. J., Greeff, A. P., Elkonin, D., & Botha, D. (2011). Giving voice to the bereaved: Family grief and resilience after a child has died [Unpublished master’s thesis]. Stellenbosch University. Retrieved from https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/145053126.pdf
- *Tanacıoğlu-Aydın, B., Akmehmet-Şekerler, S., Albayrak-Kaymak, D., & Zara, A. (2021). The role of extended family relations and rituals in family resilience following loss of mother to cancer: A case study in Turkey. Illness, Crisis & Loss. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/10541373211034632
- *Tein, J.-Y., Sandler, I. N., Ayers, T. S., & Wolchik, S. A. (2006). Mediation of the effects of the family bereavement program on mental health problems of bereaved children and adolescents. Prevention Science, 7(2), 179–195. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-006-0037-2
- Theron, L. C. (2014). Family-referenced resilience strengths in South African families. In M. Ungar (Ed.), The social ecology of resilience: A handbook of theory and practice (pp. 547–561). Springer.
- Walsh, F. (2003). Family resilience: A framework for clinical practice. Family Process, 42(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1545-5300.2003.00001.x
- Walsh, F. (2006). Strengthening family resilience (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
- Walsh, F. (2011). Normal family processes: Growing diversity and complexity (4th ed.). Guilford Press.
- Walsh, F., & McGoldrick, M. (2004). Living beyond loss: Death in the family (2nd ed.). Norton.