Page 14 - Focus on Prevention: Strategies and Programs to Prevent Substance Use

What Problems Are Affected by Risk and
Protective Factors?
Several risk factors for substance use also increase the
risk of other serious problems—dropping out of school,
pregnancy, violence, and crime—in the teen years.

Problem behaviors also tend to be linked with each
other. For instance, a youth who uses drugs may engage
in delinquency such as violence, theft, and vandalism.

Starting Points

Where Do Risk and Protective Factors Take a closer look! There are many ways to describe
Come From? risk and protective factors. A good way to begin is to
look at three areas of influence:
Risk factors vary greatly according to age, social and
psychological development, ethnic/cultural identity,  Individual factors include behavior and
and surroundings. Protective factors also vary, buffering personality as well as genetic and physical
youth from influences that make them more inclined to makeup.
start or continue using substances.  Family factors include the way that parents and
Conditions vary from culture to culture and from children behave and relate to each other.
community to community. Youth at high risk tend to  Environmental factors include circumstances
live in settings where they are exposed to numerous risk outside of the family such as school experiences,
factors, such as neighborhoods or peer groups where peer influences, and community conditions.
substance use is condoned or viewed as the norm. They Have the greatest impact! To address risk and
also may come from families with a range of problems. protective factors effectively, look at the big picture:

 Focus on young, school-aged children and their
families before negative behaviors and family
Everyone is exposed to problems become deep-rooted.
both risk and protective  Choose strategies that fit children’s gender and
level of development.
factors for substance use.  Develop prevention activities in more than one

context such as schools, cultural settings, faith-
based groups, and neighborhoods.
How Do Risk and Protective Factors Work?  Address more than one risk factor at a time.
Risk and protective factors interact continually. Their  Reduce exposure to risks while enhancing
effect on a person depends on features such as the protective factors.
number of factors that occur at the same time, how
intense they are, and how long they last.  Build on strengths in the individual, family, and
environment.
While some factors cannot be changed, their influence
can be lessened or increased. The more risks can be
reduced, the less prone a child will be to health and
social problems. For example, some children living in
a distressed neighborhood may have fewer behavior
problems than others due to strong parenting.

10 Focus On Prevention