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Results for “Protective Factors”

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PubMed2004

Substance use, religiosity, and other protective factors among Hungarian adolescents.

A number of risk factors have emerged as important correlates of adolescent substance use. In addition, research continues to focus on which factors act as mediators protecting adolescents from negative outcomes. One of these protective factors is religiosity, and the focus of this paper is to examine its role in the life of adolescents in postsocialist Hungary, where active religious participation was highly discouraged until a decade ago. The sample of adolescents (N=1240) consists of middle and high school students living in Szeged, Hungary. The calculated odds ratios for the relationship between religiosity, and other protective factors, and substance use revealed that smoking, drinking, and marijuana use among boys and marijuana use only among girls were related to religiosity. Group membership, for example, participation in school clubs, sports clubs, or religious groups, seems to be more important for boys compared with girls. A more careful examination of the protective role of religion in postsocialist Hungary could be extremely important in a country where both adult and adolescent smoking and alcohol use is among the highest in Europe.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1985

Sunscreen application and its importance for the sun protection factor.

To achieve a good sun protection, a layer thickness of 2 mg/sq cm is often recommended. Fifty individuals were asked to apply five different sunscreens ad libitum. Ten percent dihydroxyacetone was added to the sunscreens in order to make them fluoresce when irradiated with Wood's light. The layer thickness was calculated by dividing the amount applied by the area. The thicknesses of the sunscreen layers varied little between different parts of the body and different brands; in general it was close to 1 mg/sq cm. The corresponding protection factor was measured for two sunscreens on 20 persons. The results indicate that the sun protection factor under ad libitum conditions is only 50% of what would be achieved using a layer thickness of 2 mg/sq cm.

Dose-Response Relationship, Drug↗

PubMed2005

Social risk and protective factors for suicide attempts in low income African American men and women.

A case-control study was conducted to examine a broad array of potential social risk and protective factors for suicide attempt among 200 African American men and women receiving care at a large, public, urban hospital. Specifically, we examined the effect of the following potential risk factors for suicide attempt: life hassles, partner abuse, partner dissatisfaction, and racist events; as well as the following potential protective factors: effectiveness of obtaining resources, social embeddedness, and social support. Using logistic regression, suicide attempter status was predicted by two independently significant social variables: one risk factor (life hassles) and one protective factor (social support). Male versus female suicide attempters were not distinguished by the social variables. These findings, which support the utility of an ecological conceptualization of risk and protective factors for suicide attempt, help to clarify the independently significant social environment risk and protective factors for suicide attempts among economically disadvantaged African Americans in particular. Research on both risk factors and protective factors provide a basis for culturally competent interventions aimed at reducing both the risk of future suicide attempts and completions.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Reducing risk, increasing protective factors: findings from the Caribbean Youth Health Survey.

PURPOSE: To identify the prevalence of health-compromising behaviors, and the risk and protective factors associated with them among youth in the Caribbean, and to predict the likelihood of these outcomes given the presence or absence of the risk and protective factors. METHODS: Analyses were done on the results of a 1997-98 survey of over 15,500 young people in nine countries of the Caribbean Community. The four health-compromising behaviors studied included violence involvement, sexual intercourse, tobacco use, and alcohol use. Logistic regression was used to identify the strongest risk and protective factors, and also to create models for predicting the outcomes given combinations of the risk and protective factors. RESULTS: Rage was the strongest risk factor for every health-compromising behavior for both genders, and across all age groups, and school connectedness was the strongest protective factor. For many of the outcomes studied, increased protective factors were associated with as much or more reduction of involvement in health-compromising behaviors than a decrease in risk factors. CONCLUSION: This research suggests the importance of strengthening the protective factors in the lives of vulnerable youth not just reducing risk.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Homelessness in female-headed families: childhood and adult risk and protective factors.

OBJECTIVES: To identify risk and protective factors for family homelessness, a case-control study of homeless and low-income, never-homeless families, all female-headed, was conducted. METHODS: Homeless mothers (n = 220) were enrolled from family shelters in Worcester, Mass. Low-income housed mothers receiving welfare (n = 216) formed the comparison group. The women completed an interview covering socioeconomic, social support, victimization, mental health, substance use, and health domains. RESULTS: Childhood predictors of family homelessness included foster care placement and respondent's mother's use of drugs. Independent risk factors in adulthood included minority status, recent move to Worcester, recent eviction, interpersonal conflict, frequent alcohol or heroin use, and recent hospitalization for a mental health problem. Protective factors included being a primary tenant, receiving cash assistance or a housing subsidy, graduating from high school, and having a larger social network. CONCLUSIONS: Factors that compromise an individual's economic and social resources are associated with greater risk of losing one's home.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Immune protection factors of chemical sunscreens measured in the local contact hypersensitivity model in humans.

We conducted a randomized trial designed to calculate human in vivo immune protection factors of two sunscreen preparations in a model of ultraviolet-induced local suppression of the induction of contact hypersensitivity to 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene. Seventy-five male subjects were exposed in a multistage study to multiples of their individual minimal erythema dose of solar-simulated ultraviolet radiation with or without protection by an ultraviolet B sunscreen (sun protection factor 5.2) or a broad-spectrum ultraviolet A + B sunscreen (sun protection factor 6.2). After 24 h subjects were sensitized with 50 microL of 0.0625% 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene on a nonirradiated or ultraviolet-irradiated field on the buttock that was unprotected or protected by sunscreen. Three weeks after sensitization the subjects were challenged with varying concentrations of 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene on their upper inner arm, and the contact hypersensitivity response was determined at 48 and 72 h based on a semiquantitative clinical score, contact hypersensitivity lesion diameters, and dermal skin edema measurement by 20 MHz ultrasound. The 50% immunosuppressive dose ranged from 0.63 to 0.79 minimal erythema dose, depending on the endpoint parameter. Both sunscreens offered significant immunoprotection (p = 0.014-0.002) and their immune protection factor ranged from 4.5 to 5.8 (ultraviolet B sunscreen) and from 7.7 to 11 (ultraviolet A + B sunscreen). The immune protection factor of the ultraviolet B sunscreen was similar to the sun protection factor (5.2), whereas the sunscreen with broad-spectrum ultraviolet A + B protection exhibited better immunoprotective capacity than predicted from the sun protection factor.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

The academic achievement of African American students during early adolescence: an examination of multiple risk, promotive, and protective factors.

This study examined the effects of multiple risk, promotive, and protective factors on three achievement-related measures (i.e., grade point average, number of absences, and math achievement test scores) for African American 7th-grade students (n = 837). There were 3 main findings. First, adolescents had lower grade point averages, more absences, and lower achievement test scores as their exposure to risk factors increased. Second, different promotive and protective factors emerged as significant contributors depending on the nature of the achievement-related outcome that was being assessed. Third, protective factors were identified whose effects were magnified in the presence of multiple risks. Results were discussed in light of the developmental tasks facing adolescents and the contexts in which youth exposed to multiple risks and their families live.

Absenteeism↗

PubMed1992

The role of life events, family support, and competence in adolescent substance use: a test of vulnerability and protective factors.

Tested propositions from a model of vulnerability and protective factors with a multiethnic sample of 1,289 urban adolescents, aged 11-13 years. The criterion variable was a composite score for cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use. Multiple regression analyses indicated that vulnerability factors (negative life events, negative affect) were related to a higher level of substance use, and protective factors (parent emotional and instrumental support, academic and adult competence, positive affect) were related to a lower level of substance use; peer competence was positively related to substance use in a multivariate model. There was a significant overall interaction of Vulnerability x Protective Factors, consistent with a stress-buffering effect. Individual interactions for Life Events x Family Support, Life Events x Competence, and Negative x Positive Affect also were consistent with buffering effects. Implications for theories of substance use and primary prevention are discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

[Protective factors for mental health of children and adolescents--empirical results validating a concept].

In Public Health, an outlook developed emphasising the importance of assets and protective factors in addition to stress and risk factors. The study aimed at the development of a brief, multidimensional questionnaire to assess protective factors for the mental health of children and adolescents. This questionnaire was to be tested as a self-report survey instrument. In a random sample consisting of 883 children and adolescents aged 11 to 17 years scales already validated in empirical research as well as questions newly developed from aspects of protective factors identified in the literature were applied in a written questionnaire. Three dimensions, covering social, personal and family assets, could be identified from the items by factor analysis. The resulting scales for the assessment of protective factors were analysed for their psychometric characteristics. Mental health and health-related quality of life served as validation criteria. The protective factors proved to significantly influence these outcomes in regression analyses, showing a proportion of explained variance of up to 53 %. The child and adolescent self-report measure presented is apt to give a picture of protective factors for mental health representing the three dimensions of social, personal, and family assets.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Risk and protective factors of different functional trajectories in older persons: are these the same?

We examined whether risk and protective factors of different functional trajectories were the same in 1,765 Dutch older persons. We assessed disability in 1993 and reassessed it in 2001. For 2001 as compared with 1993, we distinguished three trajectory groups: substantially poorer, somewhat poorer, and no change or better functioning. We assessed sociodemographic, health, and psychosocial potential risk or protective factors in 1993. When we analyzed them separately, risk and protective factors had similar (but mirrored) associations with functional trajectories. However, in a multivariate approach, we identified old age, depressive symptoms, and low mastery as risk factors for functional decline, whereas we identified young age, good perceived health, and self-efficacy expectancies as factors that predicted trajectories of healthy functioning. Risk and protective factors of functional trajectories in older persons are not the same.

Aged↗

PubMed1997

Fighting among America's youth: a risk and protective factors approach.

Using three nationally representative, stratified samples of youth, this paper examines health-comprising behavior (fighting) using a risk and protective factors model. In addition, the interplay between risk and protective factors is explored in an attempt to specify their precise role in acting as either mediators or buffers in the risk-taking process. Regression results indicate some similarities among the three samples and the general model's utility in predicting self-reported fighting among youth. Specifically, general environmental risk variables in the form of exposure to violence (threats and victimization) were consistent predictors of fighting among all age groups (grades 3 through 12). Upon closer inspection, analysis revealed that protective factors were not effectively mediating the relationship between risks and risk-taking behavior. Results from the multiplicative regression analysis indicate that protective factors in some circumstances act as buffers; when protective factors are absent or at their weakest, the negative impact of risk on health-compromising behavior was clearly present. Overall, the findings underscore the importance of taking a multidimensional approach to examining risk-taking behavior among youth where individual-level, family, school, and community factors are all considered in the design of prevention strategies.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Protective factors against suicide attempt risk among African American women experiencing intimate partner violence.

Protective factors (hope, spirituality, self-efficacy, coping, social support-family, social support-friends, and effectiveness of obtaining resources) against suicide attempts were examined in economically, educationally, and socially disadvantaged African American women (100 suicide attempters, 100 nonattempters) who had experienced recent intimate partner violence. Significant positive associations were found between all possible pairs of protective factors. Bivariate logistic regressions revealed that higher scores on each of the seven protective factors predicted nonattempter status; multivariate logistic regressions indicated that higher scores on measures of hope or social support-family showed unique predictive value for nonattempter status. Further, the multivariate model accurately predicted suicide attempt status 69.5% of the time. Partial support was found for a cumulative protective model hypothesizing a linear relationship between the number of protective factors endorsed and decreased risk for suicide attempts. Implications of these findings for community-based preventive intervention efforts and future research are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1985

C3 nephritic factor protects bound C3bBb from cleavage by factor I and human erythrocytes.

C3 nephritic factor is an autoantibody to the alternative-pathway C3 convertase (C3bBb) which increases the half-life of the convertase both in the presence and absence of serum regulatory proteins. Human erythrocytes contain membrane proteins which also can regulate C3bBb. One of these proteins, the C3b/C4b receptor (CR1), plays an important role in the processing of soluble immune complexes. C3b which is fixed to immune complexes binds to CR1 and is cleaved by factor I to C3c and C3dg. We have tested the effectiveness of the nephritic factor in protecting bound C3b from cleavage by factor I and human erythrocytes. Sheep erythrocyte intermediates EAC1423b were prepared using 125I-labeled C3 and incubated with factors B and D in the presence and absence of nephritic factor. Breakdown of C3b was measured by release of 125I-C3c following incubation with human erythrocytes and factor I. Purified IgG from two patients with nephritic factor prevented C3c release in a dose-dependent manner. Normal human IgG was ineffective as was nephritic factor in the absence of factor B. Factor P also inhibited the release of C3c in the presence of factor B with equivalent activity at approx. 20-fold higher concns than nephritic factor. These results indicate that nephritic factor can impair human erythrocyte dependent degradation of C3b in alternative-pathway-activating immune complexes.

Complement Activating Enzymes↗

PubMed2002

GSTT1-null genotype is a protective factor against bladder cancer.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of homozygous deletions of GSTM1 and GSTT1 and smoking on bladder cancer, we conducted a case-control and ecological study. METHODS: The case group consisted of 216 patients with bladder cancer and the control group of 449 healthy Koreans. Every subject was personally interviewed to obtain a detailed smoking history, and a multiplex polymerase chain reaction method was used to detect the presence or absence of the GSTM1 and GSTT1 genes. In the ecological study, age-standardized bladder cancer incidence and frequencies of GSTM1 and GSTT1-null types, estimated prevalence of cigarette smoking, and estimated per capita consumption of cigarettes per adult according to nationality and ethnicity were included. RESULTS: In the Korean case-control data, smoking history and the GSTT1-null genotype were significantly associated with bladder cancer, and the GSTM1-null genotype was not. In the univariate and multivariate analyses with the ecological data of various countries and ethnic groups, cigarette smoking positively, but the frequency of the GSTT1-null type negatively, correlated with the age-standardized bladder cancer incidence. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the GSTT1-negative genotype might not be a risk factor but a protective factor of bladder cancer.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed1999

Identification and impact of risk and protective factors for drug use among urban African American adolescents.

Identified 10 risk and 12 protective factors associated with drug use among African American 8th graders (N = 994) in an urban school system. Regression analyses identified 7 risk and 7 protective factors with minimal overlap. The total number of risk factors was significantly related to the prevalence of use for cigarettes, beer or wine, liquor, marijuana, and a composite measure of drug use. The Protective Factor Index (PFI) was a significant moderator of the relation between risk and use of beer or wine, liquor, marijuana, and the composite measure. Longitudinal analyses of data on 650 students across the transition from middle to high school indicated that the sum of risk factors predicted changes in all drug use categories except the composite. The PFI significantly predicted changes in beer or wine, liquor, and composite drug use over this 1-year period. It also moderated risk for cigarette use, but not for other drugs. Results replicated prior studies and highlighted the importance of protective factors such as adaptive functioning in school and family influences.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

A risk and protective factors framework for understanding youth's externalizing problem behavior in two different cultural settings.

OBJECTIVE: The main goal of the study was to analyze youth's externalizing problem behaviors based on a risk and protective factors framework in two different cultural settings. METHOD: Data were collected among secondary school students in Szeged, Hungary (N=1240) and in Birmingham, AL, USA (N=1538). The self-administered questionnaires contained items on youth's externalizing problem behaviors as well as risk and protective factors. RESULTS: In both samples, first year students in secondary (high) schools and boys reported greater levels of problem behaviors. Multiple regression analyses revealed that substance use, gang membership and low academic achievement were consistent risk factors and associated with higher reporting levels of problem behaviors in both cultures. Parental monitoring served as an important protective factor in both samples, while school protective factors were only significant for American students. CONCLUSION: Findings draw attention to similar structures of certain risk and protective factors of youth's externalizing problem behaviors in different cultural settings. While there are universal risk factors (e. g., substance use, gang membership and low academic achievement), parental monitoring seems to be a universal protective factor against youth's externalizing problem behavior. An important difference is that the school domain seems to act as more important protection for American youth.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Risk and protective factors for suicidal behavior in abused African American women.

This study examined risk and protective factors that differentiate low-income, abused African American women (N = 200) who attempted suicide from those who had never made a suicide attempt. Results from multivariate analyses revealed that numerous and/or severe negative life events, a history of child maltreatment, high levels of psychological distress and depression, hopelessness about the future, and alcohol and drug problems were factors associated with attempter status. Protective factors associated with nonattempter status included hopefulness, self-efficacy, coping skills, social support, and effectiveness in obtaining material resources. Culturally competent intervention approaches for abused women should target increasing their protective factors and reducing their risk factors to decrease the likelihood that these women engage in suicidal behavior.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

A study of the influence of protective factors as a resource to African American males in traditional batterers' interventions.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between protective factors and the responses of African American males in traditional batterers' interventions. African American male batterers have been viewed as responding poorly to batterers' interventions and were reported in the literature as at risk for dropout and treatment failure. This research proposed that there were culturally related protective factors that enhanced traditional interventions for African American males, increasing their potential for changing abusive behaviors. This within-group study used secondary data to examine the influence of protective factors on the responses of 268 active duty Navy African American males. They were a sub-sample of 861 males randomly assigned to one of four different interventions for batterers. The interventions included a cognitive behavioral men's group, couple's group, safety and stabilization group, and a control group. Each of their cases had been officially substantiated by the Navy for assault of their spouses. The measures for the protective factors of religion, self-esteem, and family support were drawn from the original study's self-report measurement tool. The results of the statistical analyses were found to be significant. The protective factors performed as social controls for reducing certain types of abusive behaviors. Little research has been conducted on the influence of cultural factors on batterers intervention outcome for African Americans. This study established a strong support for further research.

Adult↗