Intersection of terrorism and family research: A systematic literature review

This study explores the multifaceted role of the family in the processes of radicalization, terrorism, and counterterrorism, drawing from a systematic literature review of 33 peer-reviewed studies published between 2000 and 2024. Although the role of ideology, political grievances, and global structures in terrorism has been extensively explored, the influence of family as both a risk and protective factor remains relatively understudied and fragmented in the scholarly literature. This research addresses this gap by employing a qualitative meta-synthesis approach to identify recurring themes, conceptual frameworks, and practical implications related to the family's involvement in radicalization and its potential in counterterrorism and deradicalization efforts. Using thematic coding through NVivo 12, four major categories were synthesized: (1) Family Role in Radicalization, (2) Family Role in Counter-terrorism and Deradicalization, (3) Family Factors that Influence Terrorism or Radicalism, and (4) Family in Preventing Radicalization. Within these overarching codes, subthemes such as intergenerational transmission of ideology, emotional trauma, gender dynamics, parenting practices, transnational marginalization, and intergenerational healing emerged as central mechanisms through which families influence the trajectory of (de)radicalization. The findings reveal that families are not monolithic actors in these processes. In some contexts, they serve as incubators for extremist ideologies, especially where intergenerational grievances, authoritarian parenting, or emotional neglect prevail. In other cases, families become agents of resilience and reintegration, especially when emotional acceptance, communication, and community engagement are present. The family can simultaneously be a site of vulnerability and a mechanism for resistance. This ambivalence challenges the simplistic binary of the family as either a risk or protective factor and calls for a more relational, intersectional, and dynamic understanding of its role. A key contribution of this research lies in its emphasis on the emotional and psychosocial dimensions of radicalization, showing that individual trajectories into extremism are often driven not just by ideological beliefs but by familial ruptures, unresolved trauma, and a search for identity and belonging. Similarly, successful counterterrorism strategies are most effective when they support families in becoming sites of healing, trust, and moral clarity rather than instruments of surveillance or coercion. This study also critiques the policy tendency to instrumentalize families in counter-radicalization efforts without providing adequate structural or emotional support. It advocates for a shift toward trauma-informed and community-rooted approaches that recognize families as complex, lived spaces with transformative potential. Therefore, the family must be understood not merely as a context within which radicalization occurs, but as an active, evolving actor in the broader ecology of terrorism and resilience. By centering the family in academic and policy discussions, this research offers a more human-centered and socially grounded approach to countering violent extremism.