Department of Clinical Psychology in Childhood and Adolescence

"Without mental health there can be no true physical health" 

This quote from 1954 by the first director of the World Health Organization (WHO), Brock Chisholm, has lost none of its validity - especially in the current times of multiple crises. The corona pandemic, the war of aggression on Ukraine, energy crises and, above all, the climate crisis are affecting children and young people's mental wellbeing. Even without these crises, up to 20% of all children and adolescents suffer from a mental disorder such as an anxiety disorder, depression, hyperactivity or aggressive disorder in the course of their development. These often show a chronic course into adulthood or the risk for a new disorder in later life.

Research into psychopathological development in childhood and adolescence is central to understanding the disorders and, based on this, to supporting affected children and adolescents with appropriate and evidence-based interventions. We therefore work in basic and intervention research based on holistic, biopsychosocial models with a focus on anxiety disorders, which represent the largest area of psychological distress in childhood and adolescence. We also present basic models of the influence of socio-ecological crises on the psychological development of children and adolescents. This is done with the inclusion of children and adolescents themselves and, in the future, their caregivers.