Prevention and Intervention Strategies for Promoting Resilience in Disadvantaged Children

Abstract

This article addresses the emergence of a resilience‐based prevention practice perspective that focuses on positively affecting the development of disadvantaged, at‐risk children. Significant progress has been made in understanding risk and resilience processes; however, use of the field's advances in applied settings has lagged. The article will attempt to bridge this gap by reviewing relevant issues in program design, implementation, and evaluation from a resilience perspective. Risk and resilience dynamics are briefly highlighted to illuminate theoretical routes for promoting positive adaptation. Trends in constructing preventive programs are underscored, focusing on ecological routes to behavioral and environmental change. Finally, prevention and early intervention programs for disadvantaged children ages 3–9 illustrate issues in program conception and effectiveness. Methodological concerns in evaluation of these programs are discussed, and future recommendations are given.