Resourcefulness: Current Insights and Future Directions for Family Scholars and Clinicians

The purpose of this article is to evaluate the current state of studying resourcefulness among children and families and to propose future research directions. Five domains of studying resourcefulness were discussed in this article; these domains are positive outcomes of being resourceful on family members, definition of resourcefulness, assessments of resourcefulness, factors contributing to children’s resourcefulness, and the programs aimed at increasing resourcefulness. By reviewing findings of the existing studies, this article revealed that resourcefulness is a multifaceted concept that has caused variations in the definitions/emphases from different scholars and the various existing scales testing different facets of the concept. While most of the studies focused on family members, none of them discussed the value of family resourcefulness in their studies. Research findings suggest that both environmental influences and personal characteristics contribute to children’s resourcefulness, which either directly or inexplicitly reflect the notions of family systems theory. Several resourcefulness intervention programs were identified, but these programs were mainly focused on children and socioeconomically disadvantaged families and all serve different purposes. We propose to generate matched programs for either parents or kids to enhance the outcome of these programs in the family settings. Future studies on consolidating the various definitions, scales, and programs on resourcefulness and family resourcefulness, as well as expanding understandings of the internal and external influences that contribute to a family’s resourcefulness from the systemic perspective are needed