SIG - Model Programs - What Are Risk Factors, Protective Factors, and Domains?

What Are Risk Factors, Protective Factors, and Domains?

Risk Factors

Risk factors include those individual or social factors associated with an increased likelihood of a negative outcome. Risk Factors can be related to biological, behavioral, and social/environmental characteristics. They include characteristics such as family history, depression or residence in neighborhoods where substance abuse is tolerated. Research supports the idea that the more factors that place the child at risk for substance abuse, the more likely it is she or he will experience substance use.

Protective Factors and Resilience

Protective factors appear to balance and buffer the negative impact of existing risk factors. Protective factors, such as solid family bonds and the capacity to succeed in school, help safeguard youth from substance abuse. In other words, building up a child's protective factors may decrease their likelihood of substance use, even if risk factors are present. Conversely, decreasing a child's risk factors can substantially lower their likelihood of future substance abuse.

Domains

Risk and protective factors exist in every level at which an individual interacts with others and the society around him or her. The individual brings a set of qualities to each interaction that serve as a filter. One way to organize these factors is by six life or activity domains in which they occur.

Risk and Protective Factors by Domain
[printable version of table in Acrobat PDF]

Domain	Risk Factors	Protective Factors
Individual	Rebelliousness Friends who engage in the problem behavior Favorable attitudes about the problem behavior Early initiation of the problem behavior Negative relationships with adults Risk-taking propensity/impulsivity	Opportunities for prosocial involvement Rewards/recognition for prosocial involvement Healthy beliefs arid clear standards for behavior Positive sense of self Negative attitudes about drugs Positive relationships with adult
Peer	Association with delinquent peers who use or value dangerous substances Association with peers who reject mainstream activities and pursuit Susceptibility to negative peer pressure Easily influenced by peers	Association with peers who are involved in school, recreation, service, religion, or other organized activities Resistance to peer pressure, especially negative Not easily influenced by peers
Family	Family history of high-risk behavior Family management problems Family conflict Parental attitudes and involvement in the problem behavio	Bonding (positive attachments) Healthy beliefs and clear standards for behavior High parental expectations A sense of basic trust Positive family dynami
School	Early and persistent antisocial behavior Academic failure beginning in elementary school Low commitment to school	Opportunities for prosocial involvement Rewards/recognition for prosocial involvement Healthy beliefs and clear standards for behavior Caring and support from teachers and staff Positive instructional climate
Community	Availability of drugs Community laws, norms favorable toward drug use Extreme economic and social deprivation Transition and mobility Low neighborhood attachment and community disorganization	Opportunities for participation as active members of the community Decreasing substance accessibility Cultural norms that set high expectations for youth Social networks and support systems within the community
Society	Impoverishment Unemployment and underemployment Discrimination Pro-drug-use messages in the media	Media Literacy (resistance to pro-use messages) Decreased accessibility Increased pricing through taxation Raised purchasing age and enforcement Stricter driving-while-under-the-influence laws

Adapted from Brounstein, Zweig, and Gardner (1998), Science-based practices in substance abuse prevention: A guide and CSAP. 2001 annual report of science-based prevention programs, DHHS/SAMHSA/CSAP.

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