ABSTRACT
Effective psychosocial prevention programming is dependent upon the identification of specific risk and protective factors that significantly influence the onset of a particular disorder. Always preceding the onset of the illness, risk and protective factors encompass both environmental ingredients and intrapsychic or persona] variables. Risk catalysts are associated with higher probability of onset, greater severity, and longer duration of the disorder, whereas protective variables are affiliated with improved resistance and resilience. After successful identification of such factors, highly specific strategies then can be developed with the prevailing intent to reduce risk factors and enhance protective factors. It should be noted that the goals of decreasing risk and increasing protection are not mutually exclusive and, in fact, may be highly similar (Mrazek &- Haggerty, 1994). Thus, the broad aims of a risk/protective model of prevention research are deterrence of a specific disorder, reduction of risk status, and mental-health promotion (Reiss & Price, 1996).
