Risk Factors

Research has identified risk factors which contribute toward problem youth behavior, including substance abuse, violence, delinquency, teenage pregnancy, and school drop out (Hawkins, Catalano, & Miller, 1992). The same research also identified protective factors which buffer exposure to these risks help youth develop healthier lives.

Effective prevention strategies include mobilizing communities, helping identify risk factors, developing strategies to address those factors, and simultaneously working to increase protective factors. 

Below is a table which identifies risk factors for youth problem behaviors (source: Communities That Care®).  Communities That Care® is a system developed by J. David Hawkins and Richard F. Catalano that empowers communities to use advances from prevention science to guide their prevention efforts.

Print version of chart

RISK FACTOR	Substance Abuse	Delinquency	Teen Pregnancy	School Drop-Out	Violence	Depression & Anxiety
Community:
Availability of Drugs		-	-	-
Availability of Firearms	-		-	-
Community Laws and Norms Favorable toward Drug Use, Firearms and Crime			-	-
Media Portrayals of Violence	-	-	-	-
Transitions and Mobility			-		-
Low Neighborhood Attachment and Community Disorganization			-	-
Extreme Economic and Social Deprivation
Family:
Family History of High Risk Behavior
Family Management Problems
Family Conflict
Favorable Parental Attitudes and Involvement in the Behavior			-	-
School:
Academic Failure in Elementary School
Lack of Commitment to School
Individual/Peer:
Early and Persistent Anti-Social Behavior
Friends who Engage in Problem Behavior
Gang Involvement			-	-
Alienation and Rebelliousness			-		-
Favorable Attitudes toward the Problem Behavior					-
Early Initiation of the Problem Behavior
Constitutional Factors			-	-