Attivare e sostenere la resilienza nella famiglia. Una ricerca intervento

The contribution highlights the findings of an action-research whose aim was to explore the resilience of families who are facing traumatic life and family events, and to identify key resources that can sustain personal and family changes. Twelve families (immigrants, mixed couples, Italian) participated in the research project: all the families were supported by therapists of the Family Service team (Cooperativa Terrenuove). Adopting a multi-methodological approach, based on self-report scales, graphic-symbolic tools and in-depth interviews, the action-research has analysed the main changes experienced by the families during the therapeutic process, specifically focusing on several areas: critical events, personal resources, parental functioning, marital relationship, ties with own cultural context, formal and informal networks. Results show the positive influence of protective factors–like parental skills- and also the negative influence of poor marital relationships, fragile community ties and problematic relations with the cultural context. There is also a straightforward evidence that family resources can be activated only by a supporting and trusting relational and social context.