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In Brief

• Family resiliency models can be helpful when developing programs and interventions for newly resettled refugees.
• Much of the previous literature examining refugee families has utilized deficit-based models of analysis.
• Family variables play a significant role in promoting resiliency within refugee populations.

Since 1975 there have been more than 3 million refugees resettled in the United States (Refugee Council USA, 2019). Although refugee admission caps have been declining, many local resettlement regions are struggling to support the healthy adjustment of refugee families (Brenner & Kia-Keating, 2016; Krogstad, 2019). Refugees hail predominantly from Africa and Asia, and often have spent decades in temporary refugee camps before being safely resettled into permanent host countries (Krogstad, 2019). Before, during, and after resettlement, refugees undergo variable traumas (Michultka, 2009), including torture, forced labor, starvation, and exposure to war crimes (Osman, Klingberg-Allvin, Flacking, & Schön, 2015), followed by limited financial and cultural resources, cultural dissonance, shifts in power dynamics, and helplessness in parenting (Moinolmolki, Ridzi, Cronin, & Haji, 2020). Although these traumas have been found to increase the risk of negative individual- and family-level outcomes, such as mental health disorders, domestic violence, and other behavior and family problems, this is not the case for all. Taking this into consideration, it is important to shift our focus on the mechanisms of resiliency that promote refugees’ successful individual, and familial, adaptation upon resettlement.

Much of the previous literature examining refugee families has utilized deficit-based models of analysis (Bang, 2016). Although these models are beneficial in identifying refugee families’ challenges, resiliency models are necessary to set the foundation for the discovery of best-practice approaches in the field. Resiliency is “the capacity of individuals to navigate their way to the psychological, social, cultural, and physical resources that sustain their well-being, and their capacity individually and collectively to negotiate for these resources to be provided and experienced in culturally meaningful ways” (Ungar, 2008, p. 225). An abundance of contemporary and former research has shown the importance of familial relationships in nurturing individual level resiliency (Liu et al., 2018; Power et al., 2016), which led to the popularity of the family resiliency framework (Walsh, 1996). This framework combines both ecological and developmental perspectives, viewing the family as an open, evolving system that functions in relation to its broader sociocultural context in promoting resiliency. This article first discusses the ecological and familial resiliency factors of refugee families, which is followed by recommendations and evidenced-informed practices, directly linked with resiliency factors.

Individual-Level Resiliency Factors

At the individual level, in order to promote psychological resiliency, basic human needs must first be met. This consists of access to education, finances, English proficiency, housing, health and medical care, and legal representation (Hopkins & Hill, 2010). In addition, individual agency and autonomy have been found to promote resiliency. A study conducted on adolescent refugees in Ontario found programs facilitating agency and self-determination to be related to refugees’ positive adjustment to life in Canada (Edge, Newbold, & McKeary, 2014). Moreover, informational supports, such as knowledge about local programs and services, have been found to foster resiliency as well as better-informed decision making (Hopkins & Hill, 2010).

Other individual factors that have been found to be related to resiliency are positive and prosocial outlooks on life. One study, on Bosnian refugees resettled in Boston, found that altruism and appreciation for what they had helped them adjust to the new culture (Gibson, 2002). Similarly, a study on refugee children in Sweden found that those who displayed more helpful and prosocial behaviors were better adjusted and had fewer mental health symptoms than those with less prosocial behaviors (Daud, af Klinteberg, & Rydelius, 2008). Furthermore, hopefulness and positive aspirations for the future have been found to promote resiliency in various refugee populations, including among those from Sudan, other parts of Africa, and the Middle East (Earnest, Mansi, Bayati, Earnest, & Thompson, 2015).

Family-Level Resiliency Factors

Family variables have also been found to play a significant role in resiliency. Research has found that being resettled with family buffers the effects of traumatic experiences, especially for refugee children (Hodes, Jagdev, Chandra, & Cunniff, 2008). Keeping refugee children in the care of a supportive family member over the age of 18 can improve resiliency. Family relationship functioning has been found to be associated with healthy psychological, academic, and occupational resiliency. For example, family cohesion, unity, communication, and perceived social support are essential in the promotion of healthy adjustment and resiliency for refugee populations (Moinolmolki, 2019; Weine et al., 2014).

Community- and Cultural-Level Resiliency Factors

Outside of the household, social activities, perceived community supports, and a sense of belonging have been found to promote resiliency in resettled refugee populations (Betancourt et al., 2014; Weine et al., 2014). Particularly, cultural and religious networks can foster both individual and familial resiliency (Betancourt et al., 2014; Moinolmolki, 2019). Religion often allows refugees to develop a collective meaning for their experienced traumas, ultimately helping to build a sense of community for many of them (Weine et al., 2014). Having contact with their home cultures and maintaining cultural ideals and practices, such as religious beliefs, family values, and traditional behaviors, can foster a sense of connection, belonging, and a shared lived experience for refugee families (Moinolmolki et al., 2020; Weine et al., 2014).

Evidenced-Informed Practices and Implications

Given the broad spectrum of individual, familial, cultural, and community factors that play a role in fostering resiliency, it is important to take a family resiliency approach to intervention development. The literature in the field suggests that resiliency can be achieved through the promotion and strengthening of ecological protective agents and resources.

Many of the family- and individual-level resiliency factors addressed in this article can be fostered through community and societal interventions. For example, providing refugee families with adequate educational and financial resources is necessary for meeting their basic needs of shelter and health. The unfortunate reality is that when many refugees are resettled, they are not provided with adequate resources to meet those needs (Moinolmolki et al., 2020). High-quality English-language and career-training programs, run by qualified professionals, can help refugee families integrate into their new communities and support their families (Moinolmolki, Gaviria, & Han, 2014).

Moreover, during the resettlement process, it is vital that agencies make family-level decisions. For example, prioritizing the resettling of refugee families together can buffer the effects of pre-migration traumatic experiences, especially for refugee children (Hodes et al., 2008). In addition, providing social programs that help to foster family relations, support, cohesion, unity, and communication may be helpful in the resettlement process.

Furthermore, programs that provide newly resettled refugee parents with community and cultural orientations can help them adapt to the new community norms and expectations. For example, providing refugee parents with resources to help them navigate the school system can help ease their child’s transition and adjustment (Moinolmolki et al., 2020). Moreover, programs that foster agency, autonomy, hopefulness, and prosocial behaviors in refugee populations can be useful in encouraging their resilience and helping them adjust into new countries (Daud et al., 2008; Earnest et al., 2015; Edge et al., 2014). Last, because religious and cultural networks have been found to foster security for refugee families (Moinolmolki et al., 2020), religious and cultural community centers may be helpful partners in sharing resources (e.g., social services informational workshops, English-as-a-second-language classes, after-school tutoring programs for children, and citizenship courses) that could help refugee families transition to the United States.

Utilizing strengths-based approaches while working with refugee families provides practitioners, clinicians, researchers, and educators with the building blocks necessary for identifying pathways of resilience. These pathways of resilience are necessary for the development of effective and efficient interventions targeting refugee families. Considering individual, familial, and ecological resiliency factors can help advance the development and implementation of evidenced-informed services to support refugee families.

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