A Decade Systematic Research on Father Involvement and Family Resilience: A Literature Review

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

School of Applied Psychology, Social Work and Policy, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Malaysia

Abstract
This systematic review aimed to identify, appraise, and synthesize empirical psychological studies on the relationship between father involvement and family resilience. A PRISMA-guided systematic review design was applied. The study population consisted of English-language, full-text psychology articles indexed in PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and JSTOR. The literature search was conducted on December 22, 2024, covering publications from January 2014 to December 2024. The sample comprised seven eligible studies selected from 1,140 records through duplicate removal, predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, full-text eligibility assessment, and methodological quality appraisal. Purposive screening was used to identify studies relevant to father involvement, family resilience, and acceptable methodological quality. The instruments included the PRISMA flow framework, the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist, and Walsh’s family resilience framework. Data were analyzed through thematic narrative synthesis guided by organizational patterns, communication processes, and family belief systems. No statistical software was used because meta-analysis was not conducted. Findings indicated that father involvement was positively associated with family resilience through adaptive family organization, supportive communication, shared meaning-making, and stability during crises. The review concludes that fathers should be integrated into family-based interventions, clinical practice, and future psychological research as active relational resources that strengthen adaptive functioning across diverse families.

Keywords



Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 27 July 2026

  • Receive Date 22 December 2025
  • Revise Date 28 May 2026
  • Accept Date 29 June 2026
  • First Publish Date 27 July 2026
  • Publish Date 27 July 2026