THE IMPORTANCE OF THE COMMUNITY CONTEXT IN FAMILY INTERVENTIONS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW FROM A SOCIAL WORK PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Introduction. The work presented here sought to analyse different studies relating the influences of the community context and family with the development and well-being of individuals from the perspective of social work. It also aimed at providing a series of aspects which must be evaluated in order to determine the degree of relationship between these elements. To this end, the analysis followed three specific objectives: 1) to analyse the research methods, techniques and instruments used; 2) to know the theories that underpin community/family/ well-being research; 3) to highlight the main results of the existing scientific production. Methodology. A systematic review was conducted using the Web of Science database, exporting the results (N=1064) published over the last decade (2011 and 2021). The PRISMA 2016 protocol was followed in order to improve the integrity of the systematic review and to improve the rigour and quality of the study. The eligibility criteria were applied and the main findings of the obtained articles (N=31) were reviewed. Results. The main results provide essential analyses of the influence of community contexts on the development and well-being of individuals. The relationship between the community and the family was found to have an impact on human development and social well-being. Discussion. A number of studies examined the role of the family as a context for development and subjective well-being, while some analyses focused on the effects of the community as a context of immersion of the family and individuals. Therefore, evidence was found on the key role of the community on individual and family development, given the important changes communities entail regarding socialisation, the reduction of child and family problems, better health outcomes, etc. Conclusions. Suggestions for future research are advanced, as well as the major elements to be considered when conducting social work interventions, such as the assessment of the community and the quality of its neighbourhoods. Scales were confirmed to be the most commonly used instrument to measure this interrelationship and the theoretical framework of all these reviewed studies shared the common foundation of ecological theory. To finish we recommend a possible meta-analysis of the scientific productions involved in this study.