The Five Protective Factors: Affirmations for Strong Families

Protective factors are qualities that promote healthy development and well-being. Protective factors strengthen families and increase their ability to prevent, handle, and recover from difficult situations.

Strengthening Families™ is an approach to "increase family strengths, enhance child development, and reduce the likelihood of child abuse and neglect." The Strengthening Families™ Protective Factors Framework lists five protective factors of strong families.

Parental Resilience
Social Connections
Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development
Concrete Support in Times of Need
Social and Emotional Competence of Children

Parental Resilience

“I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.”
― Maya Angelou

All families face challenges. Resilience is the ability to cope with and come back from challenging times. Parents who are flexible thinkers and have developed inner strength are better able to the changes that families face. Some ways to develop resilience are:

take care of your physical, mental, and emotional needs
set aside time to plan ahead
surround yourself with supportive people

Affirmation: I'm a survivor and I will keep going.

Social Connections

“Stay close to people who feel like sunlight.”
— Unknown

Parenting can be more rewarding when done in a community. It's helpful to have people with whom you can share the joys and struggles of parenting. Friends, family, and community members who provide emotional and, sometimes material, support are invaluable. Social connections can be made by:

joining community groups with people with similar interests
keeping in touch with family and friends
attending community events virtually or in your neighborhood

Affirmation: I deserve healthy relationships.

Knowledge of Parenting & Child Development

“Children acquire knowledge through experience in the environment.”
— Maria Montessori

Children need knowledgeable and responsive adults to provide safe environments and guidance. As children develop, their needs and behaviors change. And as children change, parents must also change. For example, safety-proofing a home is different once your child begins to crawl and walk. And a preschooler's nutritional needs will not be the same as a teenager's. Parents can increase their knowledge of parenting and child development by:

communicating with their child's pediatrician
taking parenting classes
downloading child development apps and researching online child development resources

Affirmation: I am willing to learn about my child and grow as a parent.

Concrete Support in Times of Need

"Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice."
-Nelson Mandela

Parenting is easier when a family's basic needs are met. Families need, among other things, access to food, shelter, physical and mental healthcare, and childcare. Discriminatory housing policies, low wages, and unexpected events such as parental illness or natural disasters interfere with a family's ability to meet their basic needs. Resourceful families are able to ask for help and access community support. Parents can obtain concrete support in times of need by:

finding or beginning a mutual aid group in your neighborhood
asking about housing and utility assistance
understanding employment and health benefits

Affirmation: Asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Social & Emotional Competence of Children

“Researchers have found that even more than IQ, your emotional awareness and ability to handle feelings will determine your success and happiness in all walks of life, including family relationships.”
― John M. Gottman

Teaching children how to identify and appropriately express their emotions helps them interact well and form positive relationships with others. In his book, Raising An Emotionally Intelligent Child, John Gottman instructs parents to:

“1. become aware of the child’s emotion; 2. recognize the emotion as an opportunity for intimacy and teaching; 3. listen empathetically, validating the child’s feelings; 4. help the child find words to label the emotion he is having; and 5. set limits while exploring strategies to solve the problem at hand.”

In addition, parents can:

provide opportunities for children to socialize
support children with problem-solving
model how to express feelings appropriately

Affirmation: I validate my child's feelings.

What do you think about these five protective factors? Would you add any? Which ones come easy for you? Which ones would you like to strengthen? Let me know in the comments below.

For a helpful reminder download a PDF of the protective factors.

For more free family well-being resources visit nweldon.com.

Categories: : Family Wellness, Parenting