The determinants of family resilience among families in low- and middle-income contexts: a systematic literature review

Abstract

Resilience research has traditionally revolved around individual risk and protective factors that enable people to succeed in spite of adverse circumstances. More recently, the scope of resilience research has expanded into the interpersonal realm, giving rise to constructs such as family resilience (FR). In this systematic literature review, we identify the empirically validated determinants of family resilience, with particular reference to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Twelve databases were searched for relevant peer-reviewed publications from 1991 to 2010. A review of the findings revealed several familial and social resilience-building factors for families in LMICs. We discuss these findings in relation to findings from better-resourced contexts and provide recommendations for future research.