Resilienzforschung

Research on resilience and protective factors revolves around the question “What keeps people healthy?” Protective factors in the person, family and social surroundings contribute to resilient development of children and adolescents. The effects of these factors depend on risk constellations and environmental conditions. Although sufficient evidence is not yet available for all factors discussed in the literature, results suffice as starting points to develop preventive interventions meant to strengthen protective factors. This paper proposes a classification of interventions based on the age of the children and adolescents. In addition to personal factors it is important to target protective factors in the family and social surroundings. Successful prevention strategies begin early on and support children over the long term, in a systematic and development-oriented manner.