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Family Resilience in The Face of Grief And Loss: A Systematic Review

Year 2025, Volume: 7 Issue: 1, 73 - 89, 28.02.2025
https://doi.org/10.47793/hp.1608181

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.

Ethical Statement

This systematic review has been conducted in compliance with research and publication ethics. All sources utilized in the study have been appropriately cited both in the text and in the references section.

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.

Kayıp ve Yas Yaşantısında Aile Dayanıklılığı: Sistematik Derleme Çalışması

Year 2025, Volume: 7 Issue: 1, 73 - 89, 28.02.2025
https://doi.org/10.47793/hp.1608181

Abstract

Bu sistematik derleme çalışmasında kayıp yaşantısı olan ailelerde aile yılmazlığını ele alan araştırmalar incelenmiştir. Çeşitli kültürel bağlamlarda gerçekleştirilen çalışmalardan yola çıkan bu derleme, geniş aile ilişkileri, ritüeller, sosyal destek, kültürel etkiler ve yapılandırılmış müdahaleler gibi yılmazlığı artıran temel unsurları vurgulamıştır. Bulgular, geniş ailelerin çekirdek aile üzerindeki yükü hafifletmede, ortak değerleri geliştirmede ve kültürel kimliği güçlendirmede önemli bir rol oynadığını ortaya koymuştur. Ritüeller, yasın dışa vurumunu sağlayan ve aile bağlarını güçlendiren temel mekanizmalar olarak nitelendirilirken, sosyal destek, başa çıkma kapasitesini artıran evrensel bir faktör olarak öne çıkmıştır. Ayrıca, Aile Yas Programı (Family Bereavement Program - FBP) gibi yapılandırılmış müdahalelerin; etkili iletişim, duygusal düzenleme ve uzun vadeli uyum becerileri kazandırma konularında ailelere sağladığı faydalar ortaya konmuştur. Bu bulgular, mevcut aile yılmazlığı teorilerini doğrulamakta ve genişletmekte, uygulayıcılar ve araştırmacılar için uygulanabilir öneriler sunmaktadır. Derleme çalışması, gelecekteki araştırmalarda yılmazlığı arttırıcı bu bileşenlerin kültürel bağlamlardaki etkileşimlerinin araştırılması ve kayıp yaşantısı olan aileleri desteklemek için müdahale programlarının geliştirilmesi önerileriyle son bulmaktadır.

Ethical Statement

Bu sistematik derleme, araştırma ve yayın etiğine uygun olarak gerçekleştirilmiştir. Çalışmada kullanılan tüm kaynaklara hem metin içinde hem de referanslar bölümünde uygun şekilde atıfta bulunulmuştur.

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.
There are 33 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Counselling Psychology, Family Psychology
Journal Section Review
Authors

Özge Yıldırım 0000-0002-2553-9382

Ayşegül Kılıçaslan Çelikkol 0000-0002-6720-7167

Early Pub Date February 18, 2025
Publication Date February 28, 2025
Submission Date December 28, 2024
Acceptance Date February 18, 2025
Published in Issue Year 2025 Volume: 7 Issue: 1

Cite

APA Yıldırım, Ö., & Kılıçaslan Çelikkol, A. (2025). Family Resilience in The Face of Grief And Loss: A Systematic Review. Humanistic Perspective, 7(1), 73-89. https://doi.org/10.47793/hp.1608181

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Humanistic Perspective - 2019

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