Trends and Developments in Family Resilience Research: A Decade of Insights (2013-2023)

Abstract

Objectives: In the last decade, family resilience has become a key focus of research. This study maps the core areas of family resilience research from 2013 to 2023 to guide future academic work. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive review of the literature on family resilience from the Web of Science Core Collection. Using Biblioshiny in R-Studio and VOSviewer, we performed a detailed bibliometric analysis. Results: We identified 870 documents, with a surge in research after 2016 that was largely influenced by Walsh’s framework on family resilience. The journal Family Relations emerged as critical, with scholars such as Yuli Li, Abraham P. Greeff, and Catherine E. McKinley making critical contributions. The key themes identified included home life, child development, childhood trauma, and domestic violence. Key word analysis highlighted essential areas such as stress in cancer caregiving, childhood adversity, long-term health issues, COVID-19, military families, and studies on resilience within specific contexts. Areas that need more research include childhood trauma and domestic violence. Conclusions: This study reveals a lack of bibliometric assessments in the family resilience literature. It offers a summary of key themes, research trends, and potential research directions and provides a strategic outline for future research about family resilience.