Answer:
Risk and Protective Factors
Assessing the risk and protective factors that contribute to substance use disorders helps
practitioners select appropriate interventions.
Many factors influence a person’s chance of developing a mental and/or substance use
disorder. Effective prevention focuses on reducing those risk factors, and strengthening
protective factors, that are most closely related to the problem being addressed. Applying
the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) helps prevention professionals identify factors
having the greatest impact on their target population.
Risk factors are characteristics at the biological, psychological, family, community, or
cultural level that precede and are associated with a higher likelihood of negative outcomes.
Protective factors are characteristics associated with a lower likelihood of negative
outcomes or that reduce a risk factor’s impact. Protective factors may be seen as positive
countering events.
Some risk and protective factors are fixed: they don’t change over time. Other risk and
protective factors are considered variable and can change over time. Variable risk factors
include income level, peer group, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and employment
status.
Individual-level risk factors may include a person’s genetic predisposition to addiction or
exposure to alcohol prenatally.
Individual-level protective factors might include positive self-image, self-control, or
social competence.
Explanation:
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