Family Strengths from a Finnish Perspective: A Thematic Analysis of an Interview

T
he cultural, ethnic, and spiritual influences on family
strengths, resilience, and environmental connections were ex
plored by a thematic analysis of an interview with a 26-year
old expatriate Finnish woman living in Qatar. The interview
focused on her experiences and perceptions of family life, and
explored the ways in which her family dealt with challenges.
T
he responses were classified into latent and emergent themes
underpinned by the family strengths model, family resilience
theory, and the ecological systems theory. Positive family
strengths were identified by themes such as “Appreciation and
affection; Commitment; Positive communication; Enjoyable
times together; Spiritual well-being; Managing stress and
crisis; Open emotional sharing, Collaborative problem solv
ing; Family identity, Shared values, Celebrations, and Tran
sitions”. Positive environmental connections were identified
by themes such as “Microsystem, Mesosystem, Exosystem,
Macrosystem, and Chronosystem”. The qualitative indicators
of family strength, resilience, and connections identified in
the Finnish family context confirmed and expanded existing
theory on the characteristics found universally to describe
strong functioning family units.