Risk and protective factors
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An excerpt from the Department for Education’s advice on Mental Health and Behaviour in Schools.
Factors that put children at risk
Certain individuals and groups are more at risk of developing mental health problems than others. These risks can relate to the child themselves, to their family, or to their community or life events. These risk factors are listed in the table below.
Risk factors are cumulative. For example, children exposed to multiple risks such as social disadvantage, family adversity and cognitive or attention problems are much more likely to develop behavioural problems. Longitudinal analysis of data for 16,000 children suggested that boys with five or more risk factors were almost 11 times more likely to develop conduct disorder under the age of ten than boys with no risk factors. Girls of a similar age with five or more risk factors were 19 times more likely to develop the disorder than those with no risk factors.
Factors that make children more resilient
Resear...
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