“We’re doing well” : stories of resilience by blended families in Malta

Abstract

This report presents the findings of a qualitative study on blended families in Malta, undertaken to explore how family members experience and demonstrate resilience while navigating complex family dynamics. The study builds on earlier national research and seeks to address significant gaps in the understanding of stepfamily functioning by including the perspectives of multiple family members—mothers, their new partners (stepfathers), stepchildren, and biological fathers where possible. The overarching research question for this study was “How does resilience manifest itself in the stories told to us by each different member of our respondent families?” The study focused specifically on blended families who self‑identified as “doing well”, moving beyond deficit‑based perspectives to examine positive adaptation, shared strengths, and effective coping strategies. Guided by systemic theory, family resilience theory, and attachment theory, the study employed in‑depth narrative interviews with 26 participants from seven blended families. In each blended family, we interviewed the mother and her partner as well as the mother’s child and the couple’s child; where consent was given, the biological father was interviewed too.