CDC Connecting the Dots – Understanding Risk and Protective Factors

This tool makes it easy to connect the dots between multiple types of violence and the risk and protective factors they share at each level of the social-ecological model (SEM).

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Connected dots

Different types of violence often share risk and protective factors.

Risk Factors  make it more likely that people will experience or perpetrate violence.

Protective Factors  protect people from violence and decrease the likelihood of it occurring.

The SEM shows the interaction between these factors at individual, relationship, community, and societal levels. It allows us to see what puts people at risk and what protects them from experiencing or engaging in violence.

Working together, it’s necessary to increase shared protective factors and decrease shared risk factors at every level of the SEM to prevent violence in all its forms.

Published on

May 2, 2024