Toward a Model of Military Family Resiliency: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Over the years, the construct of resilience has been increasing in complexity, indicated by the lack of consensus in its definition, operationalization, and measurement. Resiliency in military families is of particular interest given the nature of military life. A narrative review explored and synthesized how resilience and resiliency are understood in the military family literature. Twenty references were identified and underwent a detailed data extraction process focused on descriptions of resilience. Five themes were identified: the difference between resilience and resiliency, intrafamilial factors, processes that enhance military family resiliency, the role of context, and family–context interactions. These themes have informed the development of a synthesis of models of family resiliency that can reveal areas of vital significance for military families and serve as an important starting point to inform ongoing research and theory development for this population.