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Protective Factors

Protective Factors

Protective factors play an important role in prevention, they are factors that reduce the risk of substance misuse such as reliable support and discipline from caregivers, positive social norms, positive social connectedness to peers/family/community, and having the correct perception of peer use (correctly identifying that MOST students do not vape or use substances), to name a few. Risk factors are just the opposite, characteristics or behaviors that increase the likelihood of misusing substances such as having the misperception that MOST other students DO use alcohol, marijuana, and vape, association with delinquent or substance using peers, and lack of school connectedness to name a few. Prevention efforts work to decrease risk factors and increase protective factors.


Data from the 2019 Minnesota School Survey shows that the strongest protective factors for Washington County students linked to alcohol and tobacco use are having the correct perception that MOST Washington County students do not drink alcohol or vape. They are 5.6 times less likely to have used alcohol in the last 30 days and 6.5 times less likely to have vaped in the last 30 days. On the table below you can see just how much each protective factor decreases the likelihood of Minnesota students from using alcohol or vaping.

*Items used and adapted with permission from Search Institute (2004). The Developmental Assets Profile. Minneapolis: Author. Copyright © 2004 by Search Institute (www.search-institute.org). All rights reserved.

^Risk Ratios use data from the state as a whole, rather than community, because the larger sample size of counties provides more reliable data about relationships. For more on protective factors used on the MSS, please read The Power of Protective Factors for Minnesota Youth, under the Risk and Protective Factors heading at http://www.sumn.org/tools/ReadingRoom.aspx


You may look at the table and see that feeling that friends care about you is associated with 1.5 times less likely to use alcohol. This may not seem like a significant ratio, but imagine multiple protective factors and how they


can add up. Imagine slices of Swiss cheese, one slice has many holes, but if we layer up the slices, holes will eventually get covered up. Now imagine that each slice of cheese is a protective factor, one protective factor does help prevent substance misuse and vaping, but if we layer the protective factors, or the slices of Swiss cheese, we eventually are covering up holes and decreasing the risk of substance misuse and vaping.




Although parents are not always involved in every protective factor they can foster and encourage behaviors to increase factors within the school and community. For example, to foster strong school engagement and relationships could begin with encouraging children to get involved in school groups, clubs, or sports. Forest Lake has a myriad of sports and clubs for students with many different interests. Children can also gain meaningful relationships within the community through community groups and volunteering opportunities. For more information and ideas check out the CDC’s strategies to to increase school connectedness.


References:

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2019). School Connectedness: Helping your Child Feel Connected at School. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/protective/factsheets/connectedness_parents.htm

2. Minnesota Prevention Resource Center (2022). Swiss Cheese Model for Youth Substance Use Protective Factors. Retrieved from: https://mnprc.org/2022/04/01/swiss-cheese-model-of-youth-substance-use-protective-factors/

3. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2019). Risk and Protective Factors. Retrieved from:

4. Substance Use In Minnesota (2022). Retrieved from: https://sumn.org


 
 
 

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