Family and social resilience: A scoping review of the empirical literature

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BACKGROUNDThe concept of resilience in familial and social contexts has gained prominence in academic and policy discussions.However, the interplay between family life and social inequalities, and how these relate to each other in the resilience literature, has yet to be documented. OBJECTIVEThis scoping review addresses this gap by analysing 250 articles published between 1998 and 2023.We compare the concept of resilience as applied in family and social resilience studies through four constitutive elements: (1) the unit of analysis, (2) definitions, (3) types, and (4) the risks, outcomes, and explanatory factors that are examined empirically. RESULTSWhile both perspectives study individuals' resilience, the emphasis in family resilience is on families, whereas social resilience studies focus more on communities and societies.Both perspectives emphasize the centrality of risks in defining resilience, yet family resilience scholarship seeks solutions within the family, while social resilience highlights community dynamics.Additionally, family resilience studies explore topics related to family-specific risks and resources, while social resilience studies examine external risks and resources. CONCLUSIONSThe family resilience scholarship follows the clinical tradition in the resilience literature, viewing families as a separate entity that is resourceful and agentic.Socioeconomic risks are recurrent themes in social resilience literature, but not in family resilience.