Strong emotional bonds within families are foundational to children’s academic, psychological, and social development. While family cohesion is widely recognized as a protective factor across these domains, there remains a need to understand the specific mechanisms and interventions that foster such cohesion, particularly in diverse socioeconomic and cultural contexts. This systematic review examines global evidence on factors influencing family cohesion and evaluates intervention strategies designed to strengthen familial relationships. Drawing on 41 peer-reviewed studies published between 2015 and 2023, this review adheres to PRISMA guidelines and applies the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) to assess methodological quality. The findings are organized around four core dimensions of family cohesion—emotional bonding, adaptability, communication, and support—and highlight both common patterns and culturally specific mechanisms. Studies were drawn from a range of settings including North America, sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, East and Southeast Asia, and Europe, enabling a cross-cultural analysis of how family cohesion operates under different social, cultural, and economic conditions. Intervention strategies are reviewed separately following the synthesis of correlations, with attention to their effectiveness, cultural relevance, and contextual adaptability. Community-based programs, trauma-informed therapies, and parenting interventions emerge as key approaches, though their success has varied by regional and structural context. Studies consistently demonstrate that higher family cohesion correlates with improved academic outcomes, as supportive home environments promote motivation, reduce stress, and enhance learning. Mental health benefits are also evident, with cohesive and adaptable families mitigating risks of anxiety and depression through open communication and emotional availability. Social competence is fostered through observed and practiced interpersonal skills within family settings. Socioeconomic status emerges as both a challenge and a moderating factor, with lower-SES families facing greater barriers to cohesion but also displaying notable resilience when supported through external interventions. Effective strategies identified include family therapy, parenting education, community-based programs, culturally sensitive approaches, and socioeconomic policy supports. Family cohesion and adaptability are critical to nurturing children’s academic success, emotional well-being, and social development. This review contributes to a more culturally nuanced and policy-relevant understanding of family cohesion by integrating empirical findings across global contexts and identifying both shared and differentiated pathways to resilience. The results inform future program design and suggest priorities for cross-cultural family research and intervention development.

South Africa’s rural communities face significant disparities, marked by high poverty and unemployment, which threaten social cohesion and inclusion. Residents often lack access to essential services and economic opportunities, while social issues like crime, unemployment, and substance abuse further strain these low-resource communities. While extensive research exists on social cohesion in urban settings, there is a notable gap in understanding how social issues such as unemployment, limited access to basic services, and housing insecurity uniquely impact social cohesion in low-resource communities. Therefore, this study seeks to explore the perceptions and experiences of social issues affecting social cohesion in low-resource communities in South Africa, and how one could facilitate the promotion of cohesive communities. This study adopts a qualitative methodological approach to gain a deep understanding of the participants and their lived experiences in low-resource communities. The current study was conducted in four communities within South Africa including Philippolis, Lamberts Bay, Caledon, and Grabouw. The study utilised a qualitative approach, with a phenomenological design, to interview 25 participants which included family members and community stakeholders. In-depth interviews were used for data collection and thematic data analysis. The findings highlight the disruption of societal unity in low-resource communities due to complex family dynamics, pervasive violence, substance abuse, and significant barriers to education. Dysfunctional family structures, historical factors like apartheid, and modern challenges such as urban migration and high unemployment contribute to social disintegration. Also, crime and violence, deeply intertwined with the lack of social cohesion, are exacerbated by historical and socio-economic factors. This highlights the need for comprehensive interventions which requires a multifaceted approach to tackle the underlying drivers of violence and inequality (SDG10) to achieve social cohesion in the face of entrenched inequalities is a formidable challenge, necessitating concerted efforts from both the government and civil society to bridge divides and foster a more inclusive and equitable society. This research emphasises the importance of addressing these complex social issues to build cohesive communities in South Africa’s rural areas.

Although nuances around the definitions and contextualization of social cohesion subsist, this paper views social cohesion through the lens of social cooperation and togetherness within a collective in geopolitical terms, expressed in the attitudes and behaviours of its members. In many countries, including South Africa, social cohesion remains an ideal to strive for and achieve. Extant studies suggest that trust is one of the key factors in building social cohesion. As such, this paper aims to explore trust in the context of social cohesion. This study attempts to address the knowledge gaps regarding the views, feelings, and experiences around trust and also make a contribution to the qualitative inquiry of trust in the context of social cohesion in rural communities of South Africa. Accordingly, the perceptions and experiences of people in two rural communities (Lambert’s Bay and Philippolis) regarding trust in the context of social cohesion were explored. A qualitative methodology was employed in order to gain a deeper understanding of the perceptions of trust. A total of 19 participants were interviewed, comprising of community stakeholders and parents. A semi-structured interview schedule was used to collect data in face-to-face interviews with participants. Data collected were analysed using Braun and Clark’s thematic analysis. The study found that trust among community members in both Lambert’s Bay and Philippolis was limited. In instances where there was trust, it was mainly amongst participants who know each other compared to individuals who do not know each other. Thus, in both communities, generalised trust continues to be a challenge.

Orientation: Authentic leadership has been identified as one of the competencies for effective leaders.Research purpose: The primary goal of the present study was to test, on a Nigerian sample, the psychometric properties of the Authentic Leadership Inventory (ALI) developed by Neider and Schriesheim.Motivation for the study: Various instruments have been developed to measure authentic leadership, with the ALI being one of the widely used questionnaires. There is a need to assess the reliability and construct validity of the ALI on a Nigerian sample owing to paucity of studies on its psychometric properties in this setting.Research approach/design and method: A non-probability sample consisting of 213 bank employees working in Nigeria was studied. The ALI was used to measure authentic leadership, and its reliability was evaluated using SPSS, while construct validity was assessed through confirmatory factory analyses in the Linear Structural Relations (LISREL) programme.Main findings: Moderate levels of reliability were found for the subscales of the ALI. Reasonable model fit with the data was found for the first- and second-order as well as the bi-factor and single-factor measurement models through confirmatory factor analyses (CFA).Practical/managerial implications: Although the ALI demonstrated reasonable model fit for the CFA models tested in this study, the reliability coefficients of the relational transparency and internalised moral perspective subscales were below the 0.70 threshold. In addition, the discriminant validity of the self-awareness and the internalised moral perspective subscales was not achieved.Contribution/value-add: The study promotes the use of reliable and valid instruments in Nigeria by confirming the psychometric properties of the ALI.

The impact of parents on their children, especially in the developmental years, must not be undermined. Each parent influences a child separately and in different ways, which may have long-lasting effects on adulthood. Paternal involvement in children’s lives plays a different but crucial role that leads to improved behavioural and psychosocial outcomes. This study identifies and explores the need for fathers as role models to aid family and social cohesion in resource-constrained contexts. Individuals older than 18 years were interviewed from four different communities in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Interviews were conducted in English, Afrikaans, and IsiXhosa depending on the preference of the interviewee. Using a purposive sampling qualitative approach, data were obtained through in-depth interviews with parents and stakeholders. A relationship was found between unemployment, poverty, and a father’s involvement in a child's upbringing. This work offers practical approaches to help understand the role of fathers in advancing social cohesion in terms of children’s development and future outcomes.

Orientation: Despite increased interest in the human resource aspect in organisations, managers still find it challenging to manage organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) of employees to enhance organisational success, performance and effectiveness. To improve OCB, one needs to examine how leadership styles and the organisational climate influence employees’ behaviour, as these factors are pertinent in shaping employees’ motivation and attitudes, which in turn enhance OCB. Research purpose: The study aims to examine the influence of transformational leadership and organisational climate on OCBs of employees. Motivation for the study: Within academic institutions, people are a critical driver of success, shaping how effectively and efficiently the organisation functions. This makes it important to study discretionary behaviours, such as OCB, which have been shown to enhance overall organisational performance. Research approach/design and method: This study used a quantitative approach and surveyed 220 support staff members in a University in the Western Cape Province. Data for the study were gathered from an online survey of Google Forms questionnaires and analysed with a structural equation model to investigate the relationships among the variables of transformational leadership and organisational climate and OCB. Main findings: The study found that both transformational leadership and organisational climate had positive and significant effects on OCB. Practical/managerial implications: The likelihood of employees engaging in OCB increases when organisational leaders embrace transformational leadership and cultivate a supportive, positive workplace climate. Contribution/value-add: This study elevates the existing knowledge by adding knowledge on organisational climate, organisational citizenship behaviour and transformational leadership.