Examining the Cumulative Effects of Protective Factors: Resiliency Among a National Sample of High-Risk Youths

• NCJ Number: 222879
• Journal: Journal of Offender Rehabilitation Volume: 46 Issue: 1/2 Dated: 2007 Pages: 81-111
• Author(s): Michael G. Turner; Jennifer L. Hartman; M. Lyn Exum; Francis T. Cullen
• Date Published: 2007
• Length: 31 pages
• Grant Number(s): 98-IJCX-0026
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)

Annotation

In an attempt to extend the current knowledge base of resiliency, this study used a national probability sample of adolescents and investigated the cumulative effects that a variety of protective factors had on individuals’ probability of being resilient against self-reported delinquency and drug use.

Abstract

The findings appear to suggest that scholars advancing a theory of resiliency would be wise to consider the cumulative effects of protective factors. From a policy perspective, the results suggest that strategies to intervene in the lives of adolescents should be broad-based and involve attention to modifying the dynamic risk and protective factors. Although a considerable amount of research has focused on the concept of risk and the effects these factors have on increasing an individual’s likelihood of being delinquent, much less attention has centered on the concept of protection and the influence these factors have on reducing delinquency and crime. Specifically, less research has demarcated the importance of how protective factors function to prevent high-risk individuals from involvement in serious criminal activities, thereby fostering resiliency. Using a sample of 711 individuals from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, Child-Mother dataset, this study investigated the cumulative effects of protective factors in fostering resiliency. Tables and references