Three Types Of Protective Factors

Some children who are in stressful situations thrive and do very well, while others develop behaviour or psychological problems (Judd, 1991). This phenomenon is due to an individual’s risk and protective factors developed through nature and nurture of the individual. Research has shown that these factors can help a person to adapt to any situation that arises (Judd, 1991). There are three types of risk factors: individual, social (bullying or rejection at school) or family (involving the child’s immediate environment such as parents who are neglectful) (Hankin & Abela, 2005). There are three types of protective factors: personal attributes such as intelligence or personal characteristics, family attributes such as warmth and structure, external

There are two ways risk factors can increase vulnerability, the first is a specific risk. this can be explained as an increase risk to one disorder namely, an intellectual disorder. The second is non-specific risk, it can be explained as increase vulnerability to more than one disorder, for example; poverty has an increase in many negative outcomes (Hankin & Abela, 2005). We need to keep bear in mind that most risk factors found are a combination of both and more complex. For example, a person who has schizophrenia can develop other psychological problems as well (Hankin & Abela,

These will compensate for any risks that will be apparent, be it internal or external (Benson & Haith, 2009). Protective factors are qualities a person, their environment or situation that allows for a child to adapt to the adversity (Benson & Haith, 2009). Vulnerable factors as previously mentioned are found on the opposite pole of protective factors. Vulnerable factors are found on the negative side while protective factors are on the positive side. For example; parental warmth or parental abuse (Benson & Haith, 2009).

Resilience according to literature can be defines as the capacity of a system to be able to adapt to any disturbances be it development or systems function or viability successfully (Masten, 2013). The resilience of a person in their development will depend on complex systems that are adaptive that are continually transforming. Therefore the resilience of an individual is continually changing the ability (Masten, 2013).

Resilience is the ability to remain competence despite stressful and difficult life circumstances. This has been derived from the Abraham Maslow, a humanistic psychologist (Dass-Brailsford,