Factors that influence young people’s risk of AOD use and harm

Many factors can influence a young person’s risk of alcohol and other drug use and related AOD harms.

Some factors can help to reduce AOD use and harm.

These are known as ‘protective factors’ and include parents knowing where their young person is and role modelling low-risk drinking behaviours.

Other factors can increase the likelihood of AOD use and harm among young people.

These ‘risk factors’ include family conflict and parental supply of alcohol. AOD risk and protective factors for young people aged 6-11 years and 12-17 years.

Evidence-based parenting programs that aim to prevent and delay AOD uptake by young people target these factors by focusing on reducing known risk factors and enhancing protective factors.

AOD risk and protective factors for 6-11-year-olds

Risk factors

• family conflict
• marital conflict
• harsh or inconsistent parenting
• child abuse and neglect
• social disadvantage
• alcohol advertising
• family history of problematic alcohol and other drug use
• AOD use in the home
• availability and accessibility of AOD in community
• childhood conduct disorders
• low performance at school.

Protective factors

• a sense of belonging or connectedness to family
• proactive family problem solving
• family rituals/celebrations held and maintained
• a caring relationship even with one parent
• evidence-based drug education
• community building activities including evidence-based drug education
• positive role models, including around AOD
• sense of belonging/connectedness to school and community
• knowledge of harms/health beliefs that support healthy AOD use (among parents/carers)
• involvement in recreational activities.

AOD risk and protective factors for 12-17-year-olds

Risk factors

Peer and individual

• mental health issues
• negative peer influence
• favourable personal and peer attitudes towards alcohol and other drug use
• personality traits, such as sensation seeking.

Family

• parental supply of alcohol
• favourable parental attitudes towards alcohol use
• family history of problem alcohol and other drug use
• family alcohol and drug issues
• family conflict
• marital conflict
• cultural norms
• harsh or inconsistent parenting.

Leisure

• attending unsupervised parties.

School

• low performance at school
• low attachment to school
• early school leaving.

Local community

• high availability of AOD in the community
• low attachment to community
• lack of engagement in activities with adults.

Broader environment

• unregulated or poorly regulated promotion of alcohol, including advertising and sponsorship
• availability of alcohol.

Protective factors

Peer and individual

• knowledge of harms/health beliefs that support low risk AOD use and awareness of supports available
• accurate perceptions of the low rates of peer AOD use
• key personal and social skills, including peer resistance, decision-making and refusal skills.

Family

• family
• parental monitoring
• parent-child relationship quality
• parental support
• parental involvement
• clear rules against alcohol use
• parental discipline
• cultural norms
• proactive family problem solving
• family rituals/celebrations held and maintained
• a caring relationship even with one parent.

Leisure

• participation in positive activities with adult engagement
• involvement in supervised recreational activities.

School

• sense of belonging/connectedness to school
• evidence-based drug education.

Local community

• sense of belonging/connectedness to community
• community building activities
• positive role models, including around AOD.

Broader environment

• price of alcohol (through a minimum unit price, or through taxation
• secondary supply well managed and laws around supply to minors well enforced.

Learn AOD risk and protective factors for 6-11-year-olds

‍AOD risk and protective factors for 6-11-year-olds

Learn: AOD risk and protective factors for 12-17-year-olds

AOD risk and protective factors for 12-17-year-olds

Further resources

Learn: AOD Lifecycle Planner

AOD Lifecycle Planner