Prevention and Early Intervention Programs for Vulnerable Populations

Vulnerable populations have unique issues that need to be considered in the development and delivery of prevention and early intervention models. For these individuals, social context or stressors and support within their social environments may be particularly critical to consider in the wake of a traumatic exposure. In this chapter, the authors use a socioecological model based on Bronfennbrenner’s ecology of human development, dividing an individual’s environment into progressively broader levels, here focusing primarily on the microsystem. They discuss some of the environmental factors that are important to consider when planning and implementing prevention and early-intervention programs for vulnerable populations, including an exploration of these factors in the case of refugee children.