Universal Protective Factors for Resilience

Werner reviewed large-scale longitudinal studies on resilience in the US and abroad and found that children who coped successfully with adversity tended to:

• Become less easily distressed than those who developed problems 
• Have an active, sociable, “engaging” temperament that attracted adults and peers alike 
• Possess good communication and problem-solving skills, including the ability to recruit substitute caregivers 
• Have a talent or special skill that was valued by their peers 
• Have faith that their actions could make a positive difference in their lives 
• Draw on external resources in the family and community 
• Had affectional ties that encouraged trust, autonomy, and initiative provided by alternative caregivers who were members of the extended family 
• Had informal support systems in the community that reinforced and rewarded the competencies of youth and provided them with positive role models. 

Emmy E. Werner
Chapter 7:  What can we learn about resilience from large-scale longitudinal studies?