Risk and Protective Factors

Key points

  • Many factors can increase or decrease the likelihood of someone experiencing or perpetrating violence.
  • Risk factors can increase the risk of experiencing or perpetrating violence and protective factors can reduce the risk.
  • Preventing child abuse and neglect requires understanding and addressing risk and protective factors.

What are risk and protective factors?

Child abuse and neglect are not caused by a single factor. Instead, a combination of factors at the individual, relationship, community, and societal levels can increase or decrease the risk of violence.

Risk factors are characteristics that may increase the likelihood of experiencing or perpetrating child abuse and neglect. However, they may or may not be direct causes.

Protective factors are characteristics that may decrease the likelihood of experiencing or perpetrating child abuse and neglect.

Understanding and addressing risk and protective factors can help identify various opportunities for prevention.

Watch the Moving Forward video to learn more about how increasing what protects people from violence and reducing what puts people at risk for it benefits everyone.

Risk factors for victimization

Although children are not responsible for the harm inflicted upon them, certain factors can increase their risk of being abused or neglected.

Individual risk factors

  • Children younger than four years of age.12
  • Children with special needs that may increase caregiver burden (e.g., disabilities, mental health issues, and chronic physical illnesses).34

Risk factors for perpetration

Individual risk factors

  • Caregivers with drug or alcohol issues.5
  • Caregivers with mental health issues, including depression.5
  • Caregivers who don't understand children's needs or development.3
  • Caregivers who were abused or neglected as children. 5
  • Caregivers who are young or single parents or parents with many children.5
  • Caregivers with low education or income.5
  • Caregivers experiencing high levels of parenting stress or economic stress.5
  • Caregivers who use spanking and other forms of corporal punishment for discipline. 5
  • Caregivers in the home who are not a biological parent.14
  • Caregivers with attitudes accepting of or justifying violence or aggression.1

Relationship / family risk factors

  • Families that have household members in jail or prison.6
  • Families that are isolated from and not connected to other people (extended family, friends, neighbors).3
  • Families experiencing other types of violence, including relationship violence.5
  • Families with high conflict and negative communication styles.5

Community risk factors

  • Communities with high rates of violence and crime.7
  • Communities with high rates of poverty and limited educational and economic opportunities.18
  • Communities with high unemployment rates.18
  • Communities with easy access to drugs and alcohol.18
  • Communities where neighbors don't know or look out for each other.18
  • Communities where there is low community involvement among residents.18
  • Communities with few community activities for young people.7
  • Communities with unstable housing and where residents move frequently.18
  • Communities where families frequently experience food insecurity.18

Protective factors

Individual protective factors

  • Caregivers who create safe, positive relationships with children.79
  • Caregivers who practice nurturing parenting skills and provide emotional support.7
  • Caregivers who can meet basic needs of food, shelter, education, and health services.10
  • Caregivers who have a college degree or higher and have steady employment.4

Relationship / family protective factors

  • Families with strong social support networks and stable, positive relationships with the people around them.911
  • Families where caregivers are present and interested in the child.12
  • Families where caregivers enforce household rules and engage in child monitoring.12
  • Families with caring adults outside the family who can serve as role models or mentors.1314

Community protective factors

  • Communities with access to safe, stable housing.15
  • Communities where families have access to high-quality preschool.78
  • Communities where families have access to nurturing and safe childcare.78
  • Communities where families have access to safe, engaging after school programs and activities.78
  • Communities where families have access to medical care and mental health services.78
  • Communities where families have access to economic and financial help.78
  • Communities where adults have work opportunities with family-friendly policies.78
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Content Source:
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
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