Title: Chapter 2: Risk and Protective Factors | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Headings: Principles of Substance Abuse Prevention for Early Childhood
Chapter 2: Risk and Protective Factors

Principles of Substance Abuse Prevention for Early Childhood
Chapter 2: Risk and Protective Factors
What are some important early childhood risk factors for later drug use?
Prenatal Period
Infancy and Toddlerhood
Preschool
Transition to School
What if a child has multiple risk factors?
What are some important protective factors that can offset risk factors?

Content: But chronic stressors like family poverty and stress that is intense or prolonged—such as a parent’s mental health problems or a lingering illness —can diminish a child’s ability to cope. These types of stress can even interfere with proper development, including brain development, and aspects of physical health like proper functioning of the immune system (Brown et al., 2009). This is particularly true of children who have experienced the extreme stress of maltreatment, such as abuse or neglect, by parents or caregivers. Some children who experience a lot of stress early in life, even during the prenatal period, are more susceptible to the effects of later stressful life circumstances than other people (Raposa et al., 2014; Shonkoff et al., 2012; Turner & Lloyd, 2003) . The Special Case of Child Abuse and Neglect
Children who have experienced abuse or neglect by parents or caregivers are at greater risk for substance abuse and other mental, emotional, and behavioral problems than other children.