Risk Factors
Positive mental health
Keyes found three key characteristics of those who are most mentally healthy (that is showing no mental illness and high levels of positive mental health): 1
- Low helplessness (an ability to frame life in terms of goals);
- Resilience (an ability to mentally cope with, transform, and find meaningful lessons from life’s stressors and challenges); and
- Belongingness/succour (having healthy interpersonal relationships).
However, Diener and Seligman found that factors such as strong social relationships, work-life balance and religion or meaning in life were key correlates of life satisfaction rather than income (after basic needs were met). 2
Risk factors
There are several risk factors that could influence the development of mental health problems and mental disorders in individuals, in particular children. These factors are listed below (adapted from 3 ):
Individual factors
- Alienation
- Birth injury
- Birth complications
- Chronic illness
- Difficult temperament
- Impulsivity
- Insecure attachment in infant/child
- Low birth weight
- Low intelligence
- Low self esteem
- Physical and intellectual disability
- Poor health in infancy
- Poor social skills
- Prenatal brain damage
- Prematurity
Family factors
- Absence of father in childhood
- Anti-social role models in childhood
- Criminality in parent
- Experiencing rejection
- Family violence and disharmony
- Harsh or inconsistent discipline style
- Having a teenage mother (see Teenage pregnancy)
- Having a single parent
- Lack of warmth and affection
- Large family size
- Long-term parental unemployment
- Low parental involvement in child’s activities
- Marital discord in parents
- Neglect in childhood
- Parental substance misuse
- Parental mental disorder
- Poor supervision and monitoring of child
- Social isolation
School context
- Bullying
- Deviant peer group
- Inadequate behaviour management
- Peer rejection
- Poor attachment to school
- School failure
Life events and situations
- Caring for someone with an illness/disability
- Death of family member
- Divorce and family break-up
- Incarceration
- Job insecurity
- Living in nursing home or aged care hostel
- Physical, sexual and emotional abuse
- Physical illness/impairment
- Poverty/economic insecurity
- School transitions
- Unemployment, homelessness
- Unsatisfactory workplace relationships
- War or natural disasters
- Workplace accident/injury
Community and cultural factors
- Isolation
- Neighbourhood violence and crime
- Lack of support services including transport, shopping, recreational facilities
- Population density and housing conditions
- Social or cultural discrimination
- Socioeconomic disadvantage
Protective factors
There are several protective factors that could also influence the development of mental health problems and mental disorders in individuals, in particular children. These factors are listed below (adapted from 3 ):
Individual factors
- Adequate nutrition
- Attachment to family
- Above average intelligence
- Easy temperament
- Internal locus of control
- Good coping style
- Optimism
- Moral beliefs
- Problem solving skills
- Positive self-related cognitions
- School achievement
- Social competence
- Social skills
- Values
Family factors
- Family harmony
- More than two years between siblings
- Responsibility within the family (for child or adult)
- Secure and stable family
- Small family size
- Supportive caring parent
- Supportive relationship with other adult (for a child or adult)
- Strong family norms and morality
School context
- Opportunities for some success and recognition of achievement
- Positive school climate
- Pro-social peer group
- Required responsibility and helpfulness
- Sense of belonging
- School norms against violence
Life events and situations
- Availability of opportunities at critical turning points or major life transitions
- Economic security
- Good physical health
- Involvement with significant other person (partner/mentor)
Community and cultural factors
- Access to support services
- Attachment to and networks within the community
- Community/cultural norms against violence
- Participation in church or other community groups
- Sense of connectedness
- Strong cultural identity and ethnic pride
References
- Keyes CL. Mental illness and/or mental health? Investigating axioms of the complete state model of health. J Consult Clin Psychol 2005;73,3:539-548. External Link
- Diener E, Seligman ME. Beyond money. Toward an economy of well-being. Psychological Science in the Public Interest 2004;5:1-30 External Link
- Commonwealth Department of Health and Aging. Promotion, Prevention and Early Intervention for Mental Health – A monograph. Australian Government, Commonwealth Department of Health and Aging, 2000. Available at: External Link