Name a protective factor that reduces adolescent risk-taking.

Name a protective factor that reduces adolescent risk-taking.

• A. Low parental monitoring
• B. Negative peer networks
• C. Supportive school climate
• D. Strong family connectedness

Answer: (D)

A protective factor that reduces adolescent risk-taking is the sense of strong family connectedness. When adolescents feel closely bonded to their family, they experience emotional support, open communication, and clear, consistent expectations. This connection helps them process peer and social pressures, turn to parents for guidance, and model prosocial behaviors. The family relationship acts as a stable foundation that buffers stress and reduces the appeal of risky actions, because teens trust that their family has their best interests in mind and they have a trusted source of advice and supervision. In contrast, low parental monitoring can leave teens without guidance or boundaries, and negative peer networks increase exposure to risky activities. A supportive school climate does offer protection by promoting norms and resources within the school, but it’s the ongoing, everyday influence of a caring family that most directly shapes choices and coping strategies in adolescence.

A protective factor that reduces adolescent risk-taking is the sense of strong family connectedness. When adolescents feel closely bonded to their family, they experience emotional support, open communication, and clear, consistent expectations. This connection helps them process peer and social pressures, turn to parents for guidance, and model prosocial behaviors. The family relationship acts as a stable foundation that buffers stress and reduces the appeal of risky actions, because teens trust that their family has their best interests in mind and they have a trusted source of advice and supervision.

In contrast, low parental monitoring can leave teens without guidance or boundaries, and negative peer networks increase exposure to risky activities. A supportive school climate does offer protection by promoting norms and resources within the school, but it’s the ongoing, everyday influence of a caring family that most directly shapes choices and coping strategies in adolescence.