Resilience: Protective and Risk Factors in Substance Use and Addictions

The ability to cope with, adapt to and bounce back from stress, setbacks and hard times.

Protective: caring family, coping skills, school connection, friends who don't use, cultural connection, goals. Risk: early use, friends who use, easy access, family history of addiction, untreated mental health concerns, trauma.

The brain is still developing until the mid-twenties, so it's more sensitive to substances, and early use is linked to a higher risk of problems and addiction later.

19.

Examples: learning coping and problem-solving skills, building relationships with caring adults, joining teams or clubs, healthy sleep and activity, setting goals.

False. Risk factors raise the chance, but protective factors can outweigh them.

Something you can build.

Examples: warm relationships, clear expectations, family meals, open communication.

Examples: easy access to substances, ads that make use look normal, few youth activities.

The prefrontal cortex.

A health condition; people can recover.

It gives belonging and friends, a goal and routine, adult coaches as mentors, healthy stress relief, and a reason to stay substance-free (to perform well).

A person might use substances to numb anxiety (self-medicating). This can bring short-term relief but worsens anxiety over time and can lead to dependence. Getting help for anxiety removes this risk.

It builds identity, belonging and pride, connects youth to Elders, language, ceremonies and the land, and provides support and meaning, which are strong protective factors for mental health and against substance-related harm.

Family history is a risk factor, not destiny. Many people with a family history never develop an addiction. Building protective factors (coping skills, supportive people, delaying or avoiding use) lowers your risk, and support is available for families affected by addiction.

Answers vary. Example: school connection (join the robotics club), coping skills (practise box breathing before tests).

Example: both have friends who vape and easy access. Student A has a close family, plays hockey and has a coach who mentors her; Student B feels disconnected from family and school. A has more reasons and support to refuse and healthier ways to cope; B may be more likely to try vaping to fit in or cope. Strengthening B's protective factors (a club, a mentor) could change that.

Model: a free after-school drop-in with sports, art and homework help (belonging, school success); trained youth mentors (caring adults); coping-skills workshops (individual skills); family nights (family connection); land-based and cultural activities with Elders and Knowledge Keepers where appropriate (culture); posted info on Kids Help Phone and ConnexOntario (access to services).

Resilience draws on all four parts: physical (sleep, activity, nutrition give energy to cope), mental (problem-solving, balanced thinking), emotional (managing feelings, self-esteem), and spiritual and social (purpose, belonging, culture). Strong well-being in each part adds protective factors, which lowers the need to use substances to cope.