Which of the following are examples of protective factors?

• A. Chronic stress and isolation
• B. Substance use
• C. Poor family communication
• D. Strong social support and coping skills

Answer: (D)

Protective factors are resources that help children and adolescents withstand risk and build resilience. Strong social support and healthy coping skills embody this because they provide emotional backing, practical assistance, and effective ways to handle stress, which lowers the likelihood that risk factors will lead to problems. Chronic stress and isolation increase vulnerability, making outcomes more likely to be negative. Substance use is itself a risk behavior that can worsen problems, and poor family communication weakens the support network that protective factors rely on. So, having strong social support and good coping skills best demonstrates a protective factor by directly enhancing resilience and adaptive functioning.