HMS, HIC EQ-Bank 413

Judgment Statement

• Protective factors can significantly prevent substance misuse among young Australians.
• Evidence shows family connections, personal skills, and community engagement substantially reduce risk.

Family and Personal Protective Factors:

• Research has consistently shown that strong family relationships significantly reduce the risk of any individual becoming a drug addict.
• Young people with parents who model responsible attitudes and communicate openly about risks show markedly lower substance use rates.
• Clear family expectations create boundaries that guide decision-making during peer pressure situations.
• One major reason why these factors work is that they establish healthy normative beliefs before exposure to substances.
• Additionally, self-regulation skills provide crucial alternatives to substance use when facing stress.
• Youth who learn mindfulness and healthy coping mechanisms show resilience in stressful situations that increase the risk for substance use.
• These combined family and personal factors form powerful prevention barriers.

Community and School Connections

• Community engagement through sports, arts, and volunteering creates protective social networks.
• These activities provide identity, purpose, and recognition that reduce needs for substances as social tools.
• School connectedness adds another protective layer through adult supervision and future goal orientation.
• However, it is important to consider that some youth lack access to these protective environments.
• Socioeconomic and cultural barriers can limit participation in activities or create family stress that undermines protection.
• Despite this, protective factors remain the stronger influence on young Australians.

Reaffirmation

• The evidence demonstrates protective factors significantly prevent youth substance misuse.
• Multiple protective layers working together create resilience stronger than individual risk factors.
• Implications suggest that investing in family support, personal skill development and community programs will further increase the most influential protective factors for young people.