What are “protective factors?”
Have you ever wondered how some youth who experience overwhelming trauma and adversity end up achieving positive outcomes as adults? More often than not, these outcomes can be attributed to protective factors in the child’s life. Specifically, protective factors are characteristics of individuals, families, schools, communities, and/or broader society that help to mitigate the harmful effects of risk factors. Risk factors include poverty, child abuse, interpersonal violence and family dysfunction.
Levels of Protective Factors
Individual Level
Protective factors at the individual level include emotional self-regulation, good relationship skills, intelligence, and consequential thinking skills.
Relationship Level
At the relationship level, key protective factors include the presence of caring adults, involvement in positive activities, strong families, school engagement, and positive peer influences.
Community Level
For communities, protective factors include neighborhood cohesion, good schools, plentiful youth activities (e.g., clubs, sports, volunteer opportunities, etc.), and opportunities for employment.
Identifying Protective Factors is Key
At Choices, we work to identify and strengthen protective factors in the lives of the children and families we serve. Identifying natural supports in a child’s life is often more important than any specific treatment program or intervention. Natural supports, including stable and caring adults in addition to the parents, can provide a sense of “connection.” These adults serve as positive role models and can promote healthy development.
It doesn’t necessarily matter if the natural support is a school cafeteria worker, youth coach, neighbor, or relative. All that really matters is that the adult genuinely cares, is accessible, and is committed to support the youth through difficult times.
For More about Protective Factors
For additional information and resources about protective factors, please visit the Child Welfare Information Gateway, e.g., Promoting Protective Factors for In-Risk Families and Youth: A Guide for Practitioners https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/in-risk/
About the Author
Richard “Ty” Rowlison is Choices’ Vice President of Clinical Services. He has over 30 years of clinical and administrative experience in the public, for-profit and not-for-profit sectors developing innovative programs for at-risk youth and their families.
Dr. Rowlison has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Indiana University, a master’s degree in community psychology from Auburn University, and a doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. He completed an internship in clinical psychology at the Indiana University School of Medicine and is endorsed as a Health Services Provider in Psychology (HSPP).
Dr. Rowlison enjoys public speaking and has taught social science classes at several universities, including Auburn University, the University of Indianapolis, Indiana University, IUPUI, Indiana Tech, and the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.