Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Using Resilience Portfolio Model (RPM) as a guiding framework and utilizing qualitative in-depth interviews with 18 participants selected through a convenience sample, this exploratory study seeks to uncover the interpersonal strengths that foster resilience within the unique context of families in Kosovo, helping to develop individual and community well-being in this region. Through thematic analysis, several key themes emerged, that reflect the transformative processes families undergo in a recovering society, including evolving family dynamics, the duality of family changes, the role of family bonds as a source of support, and the importance of communication in decision-making processes. Findings suggest that post-war Kosovo families exhibit resilience despite facing numerous challenges. The interplay between traditional values and modern influences creates a complex dynamic that shapes family relationships. These insights underscore the importance of developing targeted interventions that support families as they navigate their evolving identities in a post-conflict society.

Keywords

interpersonal strengths resilience Resilience Portfolio Model (RPM)family support well-being Kosovo

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Aburn

Gott

Hoare

(2016). What is resilience? An integrative review of the empirical literature. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 72(5), 980–1000. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.12888

Agani

Landau

Agani

(2010). Community-building before, during, and after times of trauma: The application of the LINC model of community resilience in Kosovo. The American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 80(1), 143–149. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-0025.2010.01017.x

Ahern

Galea

Fernandez

W. G.

Koci

Waldman

Vlahov

(2004). Gender, social support, and posttraumatic stress in postwar Kosovo. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 192(11), 762–770. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.nmd.0000144695.02982.41

American Psychological Association . (2024). Resilience. https://www.apa.org/topics/resilience

Arenliu

Landsman

M. S.

(2010). Thriving in postwar Kosova. In Posttraumatic growth and culturally competent practice: Lessons learned from around the globe (pp. 65–72). Wiley.

Berxulli

Kelmendi

Aliaj

Beqiri

(2024). Agency and communion among youth in Kosovo and Albania: An exploratory study. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 29(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2024.2356237

Braun

Clarke

(2019). Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 11(4), 589–597. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2019.1628806

Chung

Gale

(2009). Family Functioning and Self-Differentiation: A Cross-Cultural Examination. Contemporary Family Therapy, 31, 19–33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-008-9080-4

Cofie

Braund

Dalgarno

(2022). Eight ways to get a grip on intercoder reliability using qualitative-based measures. Canadian Medical Education Journal, 13(2), 73–76. https://doi.org/10.36834/cmej.72504

10.

Diener

Oishi

Tay

(2018). Advances in subjective well-being research. Nature Human Behaviour, 2(4), 253–260. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-018-0307-6

11.

Diener

Seligman

M. E.

(2004). Beyond money: Toward an economy of well-being. Psychological Science in the Public Interest: A Journal of the American Psychological Society, 5(1), 1–31. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0963-7214.2004.00501001.x

12.

European Stability Initiative . (2024). Cutting the lifeline: Migration, families and the future of Kosovo. https://www.esiweb.org/publications/cutting-lifeline-migration-families-and-future-kosovo

13.

Friends Help Friends . (2024). Republic of Kosovo. https://example.com/republic-of-kosovo-friends-help-friends

14.

Georgas

Mylonas

Bafiti

Poortinga

Y. H.

Christakopoulou

Kagitcibasi

Kodiç

Ataca

Berry

Orung

Sunar

Charalambous

Goodwin

Wang

Angleitner

Stepanikova

Pick

Givaudan

Zhuravliova‐Gionis

Kodiç

(2010). Functional relationships in the nuclear and extended family: A 16‐culture study. International Journal of Psychology, 36(5), 289–300. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207590143000045

15.

Grych

Hamby

Sh.

Banyard

(2015). The Resilience Portfolio Model: Understanding Healthy Adaptation in Victims of Violence. Psychology of Violence, 5(4), 343–354. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0039671

16.

Hamby

Grych

Banyard

(2018). Resilience portfolios and poly-strengths: Identifying protective factors associated with thriving after adversity. Psychology of Violence, 8(2), 172–183. https://doi.org/10.1037/vio0000135

17.

Hamiti

Kelmendi

Retkoceri

Hamby

(2024). Resilience in the Kosovo context: A qualitative study of young adults. Emerging Adulthood, 12(5), 710–725. https://doi.org/10.1177/21676968241261086

18.

Haskin

(2017). (Re) conceptualizing families: An introduction. Michigan Family Review, 21(1), 1–2. https://doi.org/10.3998/mfr.4919087.0021.101

19.

Henrich

Heine

S. J.

Norenzayan

(2010). Most people are not WEIRD. Nature, 466(7302), 29. https://doi.org/10.1038/466029a

20.

Janicki-Deverts

Cohen

(2011). Social ties and resilience in chronic disease. In Southwick

S. M.

Litz

B. T.

Charney

Friedman

M. J.

(Eds.), Resilience and mental health: Challenges across the lifespan (pp. 76–89). Cambridge University Press.

21.

Jensen

T. M.

Sanner

(2021). A scoping review of research on well-being across diverse family structures: Rethinking approaches for understanding contemporary families. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 13(4), 463–495. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12437

22.

Jerliu

Burazeri

Toçi

Kempen

G. I.

Jongen

Ramadani

Brand

(2014). Social networks, social participation and self-perceived health among older people in transitional Kosovo. European Journal of Public Health, 24(2), 333–337. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckt064

23.

Kadriu

(2024). Individualism and collectivism cultural dimension in Kosovo: Exploring the effects of age and educational setting on value orientation. Doctoral dissertation. South-West University.

24.

Kelmendi

Hamby

(2023). Resilience after trauma in Kosovo and Southeastern Europe: A scoping review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 24(4), 2333–2345. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380221093693

25.

Kelmendi

Jemini-Gashi

(2022). An exploratory study of gender role stress and psychological distress of women in Kosovo. Women’s Health, 18, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1177/17455057221097823

26.

Kelmendi

Mulaj

Zymberi

Kadiri

(2021). Meaning-Making of War Experiences: Stories From Kosova. Journal of Death and Dying, 86(1), 89–118. https://doi.org/10.1177/0030222820962251

27.

Kosovo 2.0 . (2024). Kosovo women’s struggle between family and career. https://kosovotwopointzero.com/en/kosovo-womens-struggle-between-family-and-career/

28.

Lambiase

M. J.

Kubzansky

L. D.

Thurston

R. C.

(2015). Positive psychological health and stroke risk: The benefits of emotional vitality. Health Psychology: Official Journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association, 34(10), 1043–1046. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000228

29.

Latifi

(2015) . Family, kinship relations and social security in Kosovo since the war of 1999: the case of Isniq/Eingereicht von Tahir Latifi. Doctoral dissertation. Graz.

30.

Latifi

(2018). The culture of relatedness in Kosovo: The role of kinship in the private and the public sphere. Studia Ethnologica Croatica, 30(30), 147–168. https://doi.org/10.17234/SEC.30.7

31.

Latifi

(2019). Generational and intergenerational care and mobility networks in Kosovo. Comparative Southeast European Studies, 67(2), 196–210. https://doi.org/10.1515/soeu-2019-0014

32.

Lincoln

K. D.

Chatters

L. M.

Taylor

R. J.

(2005). Social Support, Traumatic Events, and Depressive Symptoms Among African Americans. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67(3), 754–766. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2005.00167.x

33.

Murdock

G. P.

(1950). Family stability in Non-European cultures. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 272(1), 195–201. https://doi.org/10.1177/000271625027200125

34.

Nguyen

A. W.

Chatters

L. M.

Taylor

R. J.

Mouzon

D. M.

(2016). Social support from family and friends and subjective well-being of older African Americans. Journal of Happiness Studies, 17(3), 959–979. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-015-9626-8

35.

Nimkoff

M. F.

Middleton

(1960). Types of family and types of economy. American Journal of Sociology, 66(3), 215–225. https://doi.org/10.1086/222873

36.

Riolli

Savicki

Cepani

(2002). Resilience in the face of catastrophe: Optimism, personality, and coping in the Kosovo crisis. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 32(8), 1604–1627. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2002.tb02765.x

37.

Rook

K. S.

(2015). Social networks in later life: Weighing positive and negative effects on health and well-being. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 24(1), 45–51. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721414551364

38.

Ryff

C. D.

Radler

B. T.

Friedman

E. M.

(2015). Persistent psychological well-being predicts improved self-rated health over 9–10 years: Longitudinal evidence from MIDUS. Health Psychology Open, 2(2), 2055102915601582. https://doi.org/10.1177/2055102915601582

39.

Sharma

(2013). The family and family structure classification redefined for the current times. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 2(4), 306–310. https://doi.org/10.4103/2249-4863.123774

40.

Southwick

S. M.

Bonanno

G. A.

Masten

A. S.

Panter-Brick

Yehuda

(2014). Resilience definitions, theory, and challenges: Interdisciplinary perspectives. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 5(1), 25338. https://doi.org/10.3402/ejpt.v5.25338@zept20.2014.5.issue-s4

41.

Tillman

K. H.

Nam

C. B.

(2008). Family structure outcomes of alternative family definitions. Population Research and Policy Review, 27(3), 367–384. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11113-007-9067-0

42.

Turner

S. W.

Bowie

Dunn

Shapo

Yule

(2003). Mental health of Kosovan Albanian refugees in the UK. The British Journal of Psychiatry: The Journal of Mental Science, 182(5), 444–448. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.182.5.444

43.

Ungar

(2004). The importance of parents and other caregivers to the resilience of high‐risk adolescents. Family Process, 43(1), 23–41. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1545-5300.2004.04301004.x

44.

UN Women . (2024). Kosovo gender country profile. UN Women – Europe and Central Asia. https://eca.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2021/02/kosovo-gender-country-profile

45.

Vermeer

(2014). Religion and family life: An overview of current research and suggestions for future research. Religions, 5(2), 402–421. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel5020402

46.

Vogel

J. M.

Family Systems Collaborative

Group.

(2017). Family resilience and traumatic stress: A guide for mental health providers. National Center for Child Traumatic Stress. https://www.nctsn.org/sites/default/files/resources/family_resilience_and_traumatic_stress_providers.pdf.

47.

Walsh

(2011). Family resilience: A collaborative approach in response to stressful life challenges. Resilience and Mental Health: Challenges Across the Lifespan, 12, 149–161. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511994791

48.

Walsh

(2016). Family resilience: A developmental systems framework. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 13(3), 313–324. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2016.1154035

49.

Weine

(2008). Family roles in refugee youth resettlement from a prevention perspective. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 17(3), 515–532. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chc.2008.02.006

50.

Jin

Huang

Wang

Zhou

(2023). Family function and post-traumatic stress disorder in children and adolescents: A meta-analysis. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 24(5), 3151–3169. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380221126182

51.

Zaninotto

Steptoe

(2019). Association between subjective well-being and living longer without disability or illness. JAMA Network Open, 2(7), Article e196870. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.6870

Family Dynamics and Interpersonal Strengths: Pathways to Resilience Among Kosovar Families

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References