Protective Factors

Even when mental illness occurs, protective factors may reduce symptom burden, improve adaptation and support movement towards better well-being. The review will investigate whether protective factors vary across individuals, populations and contexts, and whether their effectiveness differs. A narrow ACE-only approach may not capture trauma experiences more common in particular contexts, such as war, displacement or medical trauma, which limits understanding of protective factors in those populations. The review will examine how protective factors operate across both the four salutogenic domains and the five ecological levels. Protective factors are defined as individual, relational, community or societal attributes that increase resilience and reduce the impact of adversity.