Strong families help children learn resilient behavior, according to researcher Mark Roosa, when they teach problem-solving skills and provide positive, noncritical support and a sense of togetherness. The values and skills learned at home give individuals the power to shape their lives.
Families that learn how to cope with challenges and meet individual needs are more resilient to stress and crisis. Healthy families solve problems with cooperation, creative brainstorming, and openness to others, according to David Reiss. Other researchers, including James Garbarino, emphasize the role of social support and connectedness (versus isolation) in family resiliency.
Families develop unique resiliency patters over time. Hamilton I. McCubbin worked with other researchers to extend Reuben Hill's ABCX model of family crisis to focus on the impact of a family's long-term efforts to adapt. (figure of ABCX model to be added soon)
A family's ability to recover from crisis is influenced by additional life stressors and by family perceptions. A family's goals, values, problem-solving skills, and support networks impact its adaptation to long-term stress and crisis.
Other researchers note that certain social and psychological characteristics are present in healthy families. Nick Stinnett and John DeFrain identified commitment, appreciation, time together, communication, faith and values, and coping skills as traits in healthy families. Carl A. Dunst, Carol Trivette, and Angela Deal found that focusing on strengths significantly improves a family's self-help capacity and the impact of professional help.
The Circumplex Model of Family Functioning developed by David H. Olson, Candyce S. Russell, and Douglas H. Sprenkle also identifies three characteristics central to healthy families. They are: