Imminent incidents demonstrate the helplessness of authorities and schools to cope with unexpected violence outbreaks of adolescent refugees. Questions arise whether these out-breaks could be predictable and preventable. Among the refugees, coming from different parts of the world, there are many unaccompanied adolescents, looking for protection from violence and pursuit. A significant part faced traumatic incidents and hardship in their lives, fulfilling the ICD 10 or DSM V criteria of PTSD. This results mainly from war, loss of family as well as conditions during escape and loneliness in the host country. Coping with these burdens is processed differently and is dependent on individual resources. There has only been a little amount of research on how individual resources influence the internal trauma processing. Resilience describes the property to cope with crises in spite of significant burden by using personal and socially mediated resources for one's own development and growth. Many teachers or other authorities are often unsure how to deal with refugee students and their specific narrative. In most of the cases special focus is placed on the salience and weaknesses of refugee students, while hidden resources and skills are overlooked. Accessing resources and setting a linkage to new resources is an essential educational challenge. Therefore focusing on resources and activating them can be an important factor for school integration, supporting teachers to act appropriately. On the other hand, self-awareness of students of their own resilience may help them to use these potentials actively. © Schattauer 2016.

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violence refugee adolescence self concept Incidence Article student human posttraumatic stress disorder