Not broken but strengthened : stories of resilience by persons with acquired physical disability and their families

Abstract

This study seeks to understand the processes in families of resilient individuals with an acquired physical disability. Specifically, we were interested in getting to know more about the role of the family in the individuals’ resilience, and in turn, the impact on the family of the individuals’ disability and resilience. A multiple-case narrative methodology with three families was adopted. In total 19 family members participated in the construction of three stories. This described how the families were transformed and how family members continually moved and energised one another in virtuous circles of support. Empathy and altruism were motivators for these virtuous circles whilst adequate amounts of support contained the experience of each family member. Identifying, strengthening, and building on these relational processes was found to be vital in enabling both the individuals affected by disability and their families to grow following their adversity