You need to read this section on Risk & Protection in the correct order:
- Introduction
- Individual
- Community
- Family < You are here
- Peer and school factors
- Responding from a risk and protection framework
Family risk factors
• = this risk factor makes it more likely for this adverse outcome to occur
Adverse outcomes |
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| Risk Factors | Substance abuse |
Mental health problems |
Crime/ delin- |
Poor family management |
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Negative communication patterns |
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Family conflict |
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Family history of antisocial behaviour |
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Parental attitudes favourable to drug use |
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Parental attitudes favourable to antisocial behaviour |
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Teenage mother at time of young person's birth |
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Single parent family |
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Depressed parent/s |
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Parents' substance use |
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Parents criminality |
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Marital discord |
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Large family size |
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Father absent |
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Long term parental unemployment |
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Poor parental supervision |
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Harsh or inconsistent discipline |
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Abuse or neglect |
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Parental emotional distance |
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Loss of parent by divorce/separation |
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Parental psychopathology |
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Family protective factors
• = this protective factor makes it less likely for this adverse outcome to occur
Adverse outcomes |
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| Protective Factors | Substance abuse |
Mental health problems |
Crime/ delin- |
Family attachment |
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Opportunities for pro-social involvement |
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Rewards for pro-social involvement |
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Supportive caring parents |
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Family harmony |
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More than two years between siblings |
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Expectation to assist in the home |
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Secure and stable family |
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Strong family norms and morality |
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Supportive relationship with other adults |
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Extended family support |
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High parental expectations (not unrealistic) |
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Activity
Tung
Tung lives with his grandma, mum, dad and younger sister. They have a lot of contact with their extended family. He finds that his parents expect quite a lot from him. His dad is constantly telling him that he is the oldest and thus he needs to set an example to his sister. His father is always attempting to ground him but never actually sticks to his punishments. It seems that they are constantly nagging him, especially about his "Aussie" friends and his skateboarding.
Things became a lot worse when his dad got retrenched from his job where he was working as an engineer approximately 18 months ago. He now seems to get angry more often and he often sits at home staring at the television. His parents spend a lot of time arguing. His mum works full-time and his dad now drives a taxi part-time.
Tung really loves his dad and mum and they do have outings and activities as a family, and they're not that bad.
Sally
Sally has little contact with her family. She never knew her dad, her mother says that he was in gaol for some serious crime when she was born and she has not seen him since. Sally's mum lives in a neighbouring small town to Sally and she lived with her on and off until one year ago. Her mum has had a number of relationships with other men whom Sally doesn't like. One of these men tried to come into her bed one night and that was when she left home.
Sally's mum was 17 when Sally was born and she is currently on the methadone program. She has two younger brothers who still live with her mum. She now sees the family around birthdays and other celebrations but they (Sally and Mum) inevitably end up fighting, either over her mum's lack of care for the boys or about Sally's cannabis use.
However, Sally sees her aunty who is really understanding and Sally sometimes stays at her house when things at the refuge are not working out.
Mike
Mike intermittently lives with his mum and dad in their housing commission house. Mike's dad and mum fight and argue constantly. When they get intoxicated the fighting escalates, or when his dad comes home from the pub on Thursday nights and mum "starts on him", he physically assaults her. One night Mike was assaulted by his dad when he stood up for his mum.
Mike has a younger brother and sister of whom he is quite protective. When he's home and his parents start fighting he brings them to his bed and they sleep with him for protection. Mike's dad works as a labourer with a number of local building firms and his mum looks after the two other siblings. Mike's family have not visited him this time in detention. His dad said to him at the police station that he's had too many chances and "he's sick of putting up with his shit". He rang his mum, but she said that she doesn't have any money to come and visit him, nor can she get anyone to mind the two other children.
Mike's Nan and Pa come and visit him every couple of weeks and they bring Mike's siblings. His Nan even sent him a card the other day, along with some biscuits that she cooked for him. Mike remembers a holiday he had with his family when he was eleven years old in Queensland. They stayed at a caravan park for one week and he went fishing with his dad and they caught some pretty big fish. He wishes things were more like those times.
Tung/Sally/Mike
Let us now examine the family influences that Tung, Sally and Mike experience.
Please continue the development of the tables and now list both the risk and protective factors that the young person you chose to focus on might experience in their family.
Family Risk Factors:
Family Protective Factors:
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Working with Young People with Alcohol or Other Drug Issues: A self-paced learning package Published: 2006 Funded by NSW Drug & Alcohol Workforce Development Council. Written & compiled by Kristy Delaney, YAPA, and Matt Stubbs & John Howard, Ted Noffs Institute. Additional material by Nick Manning, YAPA, & by Shopfront Youth Legal Centre. Opinions are the author's.
Be careful! YAPA and the authors took reasonable care to ensure that this information was correct at the time of publishing. However health information, and government regulations, laws and standards are complex and changing. The authors may not have health, safety, or legal qualifications, and information provided is general - it is not specific health, legal or professional advice. Do not rely on it - check with other publications and authorities and if necessary get qualified, medical, legal or professional advice for your situation.
