Instructional Strategies for Increasing Protective Factors
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, protective factors are individual or environmental characteristics, conditions, or behaviors that reduce the effects of stressful life events. These factors also increase an individual’s ability to avoid risks or hazards and promote social and emotional competence to thrive in all aspects of life, now, and in the future. Schools are uniquely positioned to develop and strengthen protective factors by helping students acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to manage emotions, set and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, and establish and maintain supportive relationships.