Our research group focuses on the development of mental disorders in children and adolescents as well as the conditions necessary for healthy child development.

Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology as a sub-discipline of psychology has been established as an independent research and teaching area at many universities in the last decades and is becoming increasingly important. According to the WHO, one out of five children worldwide experiences an emotional disorder or a behavioural problem. In Austria, the estimated prevalence of mental disorders in children and adolescents is about 22 %.

In the current state of research, the family is considered the primary source for resources but also an important source for risk factors in child development. Family risk and protective factors are considered universal, as these have been multiply scientifically replicated and have shown to be stable in international comparisons ranging from very poor to the richest countries in the world. Thus, the family provides the most important development context for children and adolescents and is, therefore, vital for a healthy mental development as well as the prevention of mental disorders. This is the foundation of the core questions of our research group.