You need to read this section on Risk & Protection in the correct order:
- Introduction
- Individual
- Community
- Family
- Peer and school factors < You are here
- Responding from a risk and protection framework
The last major group of factors that have been found to be quite influential on young people are school and peer factors.
Peer and school 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- |
Academic failure |
• |
• |
• |
Low commitment to school |
• |
• |
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Normative beliefs about aggression |
• |
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Bullying |
• |
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Poor attachment to school |
• |
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Inadequate behaviour management |
• |
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Peer rejection |
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Deviant peer group |
• |
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Friends' use of drugs |
• |
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Peer and school 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- |
Opportunities for pro-social involvement |
• |
• |
• |
Rewards for pro-social involvement |
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• |
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Sense of belonging |
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• |
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Positive school climate |
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Required responsibility and helpfulness |
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School norms against violence |
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Realistic expectations by teacher(s) |
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Pro social peer group |
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Activity
Tung
Tung is in Year 12 at a private school where academically he is very successful. He is in the top 5 percentile of his year and is on the debating team. He also plays for the First 11 cricket team.
Recently, Tung has been in a number of fights at school, when some of the boys in his year called him racist names. He has reported it to the teachers, at his father's request, but they don't seem to do anything about it because the boys deny saying it. This has meant he has had a number of detentions after being in the fights. Tung doesn't regard any of the kids at school as being his friends.
Tung's real friends are the boys he skates with. They can't really understand his schooling situation. Tung's best friend is Bruce. Bruce works at the local shopping centre collecting trolleys when he's not skating. Bruce says to him that he should just put up with it, so that he gets his HSC, goes to University and gets a good job.
Tung's friends drink and smoke cannabis; recently a number of them have been trying "ice" (methamphetamines). Tung tried it last week, but didn't really like it too much. Bruce seems to have used "ice" quite a bit in the last week.
Sally
Sally is not currently enrolled at any school. She would like to get back into school and one of the refuge workers is assisting her to get enrolled in the local government-run school. She was enrolled at the school where her mum lives last year. Sally found the work too difficult to do and would then get into trouble for not completing her homework. The classes were really large and lots of the other students would pick on Sally for being "dumb".
Some of the residents at the refuge are enrolled at the local school and it seems that the class sizes are smaller and the teachers are more supportive of the students. Some of the residents have even had their teachers over at the refuge to help them with their homework.
Sally doesn't have many people she calls her friends, she gets along OK with some of those at the refuge. They smoke cannabis together when the workers aren't around. She shares a room with Tanya and they smoke cannabis on a daily basis after the workers have gone to sleep. Some of the other residents drink and use speed but she doesn't like these. If she has been given timeout she will sometimes use inhalants down at the squat by the river.
Mike
Before being incarcerated, Mike was suspended on three occasions from his local school. Twice for fighting with other students and once for throwing a desk at a teacher. Mike saw school as a waste of time, he never saw the relevance of maths and English, so he would often cut school. Subsequently, he never did well at any of his classes except for woodwork, metalwork and art.
In the centre he has been attending school and has actually enjoyed it. You only have to do those subjects that you like. He has also found that he can do subjects one or two at a time, as opposed to six or seven like his old school. The principal of the school he's currently attending is assisting him in gaining entry into a school in the community like this one. Mike will be enrolling to do woodwork and carpentry. This term Mike was awarded a merit certificate for "excellence in woodwork" for a table that he made.
In Smokeshurst most of Mike's friends are polydrug users, there's not much else to do. Many of them have a preference for heroin. A few of his mates are in detention with him; two of them are trying to stay off the heroin, like Mike. The others are using when they can get it. All of them smoke cannabis. The AOD worker in detention has made it pretty clear to Mike that he won't be able to stay off the heroin if he spends a lot of time with his friends who are using. He is a bit anxious as one of his friends has said to him that he can set Mike up with a supplier when he gets out of detention, so he can start to do some low-level dealing. He doesn't want to get into this but he's sees it as a pretty easy way of making money.
Tung/Sally/Mike
From the unravelling lives of the young person you chose, please identify and list the peer and schooling risk and protective factors.
Peer and School Risk Factors:
Peer and School Protective Factors:
Looking back on the table that you have developed, reflect on the following questions:
- What if Sally was Aboriginal? OR
- What if Sally began a relationship with an older male?
- What if Tung moved to Smokehurst? OR
- What if Tung's father died?
- What if Mike moved to Suburbville? OR
- What if Mike decided he was gay?
Would these changes increase or decrease risk? Would these changes increase or decrease protection? If so, how?
Question 1:
Question 2:
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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.
