Lessons in Resilience

Psychosocial interventions are cost-effective programs to help children and teens cope with precarious situations.

Hundreds of millions of children live in places where violence is rampant. These children are especially vulnerable to developing mental disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The large number of vulnerable youth makes the provision of specialized psychological care all but impossible.

Aid organizations are experimenting with programs that provide psychosocial support. These interventions seek to boost resilience through educational and recreational activities.

Psychosocial programs aim to improve resilience, yet scientists still can’t agree on a definition of the term.

Starting in the 1970s, developmental psychologists tried to find out why some schoolchildren in the city of Minneapolis managed to thrive despite adverse circumstances. They identified both extrinsic factors, such...