The resilience of families in post-Genocide Rwanda was evident in several ways. The majority of Jehovah’s Witnesses live in households consisting of a married couple with children, but single-parent and extended-family households are also common. Married couples, especially with all adults as Jehovah’s Witnesses, reported the highest satisfaction. Second-generation Jehovah’s Witnesses have larger family networks within the faith, including siblings and grandparents, compared with those whose parents were not JWs at birth.
A significant finding was that family satisfaction was consistently high regardless of gender, age group, generations, or Genocide role-situation. Despite life experiences, Jehovah’s Witnesses characterize their families as having cohesion, flexibility, and good communication. That family satisfaction did not significantly differ by Genocide generation or role-situation indicates that emotional pain associated with the past can coexist with positive appraisal of their family. (Family Satisfaction in Section 6, Subjective Social and Psychological Wellbeing, page 338)