Prevention practitioners have long targeted risk and protective factors associated with behavioral health problems (i.e., substance misuse and mental health problems). However, given the multi-faceted nature of substance misuse and mental health problems, there are several risk and protective factors associated with them, and these risk and protective factors may vary by person's demographic and geographic characteristics. Additionally, research suggests that there are a number of risk and protective factors that are common to both substance misuse and mental health problems (i.e. shared risk and protective factors). To assist SAMHSA's prevention grantees in identifying these factors, the CAPT conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature published between 2000 and 2014 to create a list of research-based risk, protective, and shared factors and associated substance misuse and mental health problems. This section provides an overview on the CAPT systematic review methods, risk and protective factors identified by the review, recommendations on how to use the information in prevention planning, and links to risk and protective factors data on SAPPET.

Using Risk and Protective Factors

Explore ways of using risk, protective, and shared factors to assist prevention planning and decision-making under the Strategic Prevention Framework.

Access Risk and Protective Factor Data

View risk and protective factors data from SAPPET sources for your state, jurisdiction or tribe.