ABSTRACT
The second stage in the problem-solving model is Problem Analysis. When applied to the Public Health Problem-Solving Model, this stage is expanded to identifying risk and protective factors. This chapter focuses on various factors that increase students’ likelihood of developing a particular condition or problem or decrease that possibility. The first step in this process is to develop a complex understanding of risk and protective factors. Risk factors have been defined as individual or environmental hazards that increase vulnerability to negative developmental behaviors, events, or outcomes. Because a risk factor indicates a higher probability that a disorder will develop, it must predate the development of the disorder. Two additional key concepts in the study of risk are equifinality and multi-finality. Protective factors are those variables in the individual, family, or community that are thought to reduce the likelihood of developing negative or problematic outcomes. Similar to risk factors, protective factors can be present in the individual, family, institutions, or communities.
