Social Ecological Model

The shared risk and protective factors in this database are categorized according to the social ecological model. This multi-level framework allows us to consider the different contexts in which shared risk and protective factors exist, examine how they interact, and choose prevention strategies that operate at multiple levels in order to achieve the greatest impact.

Individuals possess biological and psychological characteristics that make them vulnerable to, or resilient in the face of, potential behavioral health problems. But people do not exist in isolation. They are engaged in relationships that influence their behaviors. They are members of communities. And they are part of society. Different risk and protective factors operate within each of these contexts, or levels, and these factors influence one another.

The four levels of the socio-ecological model include the following:

  • Individual: Includes factors specific to the individual, such as age, education, income, health, and psychosocial problems, which may correspond with substance use. For example, young adults who are unemployed are more likely to develop anxiety disorders and become dependent on alcohol.
  • Relationship: Includes an individual's closest social circle - family members, peers, teachers, and other close relationships - that contribute to their range of experience and may influence their behavior. For example, children whose parents separate or divorce are more likely to suffer from mood and substance disorders.
  • Community: Includes the settings in which social relationships occur, such as schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods. These factors can have both negative and positive associations with substance use. For example, adolescents who participate in social activities at school and in the community are less likely to use marijuana and alcohol.
  • Societal: Includes broad societal factors, such as social and cultural norms. Other significant factors operating at this level include the health, economic, educational, and social policies that contribute to economic and/or social inequalities between populations.

Practitioners must look across these contexts to address the constellation of factors that influence both individuals and populations: targeting just one context is unlikely to do the trick. For example, a strong school policy forbidding alcohol use on school grounds will likely have little impact on underage drinking in a community where parents accept underage drinking as a rite of passage or where alcohol vendors are willing to sell to young adults. A more effective and comprehensive approach - with the potential to impact multiple contexts - might include changes to school policy plus education for parents on the dangers of underage drinking, or a city ordinance that requires alcohol sellers to participate in responsible server training.

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