Family Resilience during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Literature Review

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has spread rapidly in many countries. This pandemic has led to short-term as well as long-term psychosocial and mental health implications for all family members. The magnitude of family resilience is determined by many vulnerability factors like developmental age, educational status, preexisting mental health condition, being economically underprivileged or being quarantined due to infection or fear of infection. Methods: PubMed, SCOPUS, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, Cochrane, and ProQuest were searched from the inception of the pandemic to December 31, 2020. Articles were screened for inclusion by Authors. Results: After exclusion, there were eight studies included in the analysis with 165,515 participants. The literature review demonstrated that pandemic has caused mental health problems such as anxiety, stress, and depression. Creating daily practices of gratitude is important to build family wellbeing. It is essential to have good and healthy communication and to find positive activities to do together among family members which can build a sense of togetherness, trust, cohesion, and happiness. Conclusion: In conclusion, the pandemic has caused unpredictable and uncertain impacts that can pose a threat to the wellbeing of the families. Pandemic has caused mental health problems such as anxiety, stress, and depression. A healthy relationship, communication, faith-based practices, a positive mindset, and building social support are adaptive coping to respond to the crisis and adversity together.