Typologies of resilient families: emerging roles of social class and ethnicity

The study of resilient families, or the search for characteristics, dimensions, and properties of families which help families to be resistant to disruption in the face of change and adaptive in the face of crisis situations, is a natural and predictable development in the evolution of family science. Current findings from the studies conducted on resilient families are reviewed and summarized with an emphasis on three emerging issues. The importance of social class and ethnicity is accentuated in a review of current studies conducted on military families. Deterrents to and the need for more research on resilient families are discussed in relationship to the value of prevention oriented family programs.