Individual Protective Factors Index

Abstract

The Individual Protective Factors Index (IPFI) is a comprehensive psychological scale designed to measure key internal and environmental assets that buffer young people against high-risk behaviors, particularly those related to violence. Developed by Phillips and Springer in 1992, the IPFI assesses six distinct domains of protective factors: Control, Positive Outlook, Self-Concept, Presence of Caring, Conflict Resolution, and Family Bonding. The instrument utilizes a structured response format to gauge the extent to which students in grades 7 through 11 endorse statements related to their personal competence, emotional regulation, future orientation, and social support systems.

Keywords

Individual Protective Factors Index, IPFI, Protective Factors, Youth Violence Prevention, Adolescent Assessment, Self-Concept, Locus of Control, Family Bonding, Conflict Resolution, Self-Efficacy

Authors

Phillips J, Springer F

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Purpose

The primary purpose of the Individual Protective Factors Index is to systematically identify and quantify the strengths and resilience factors present in adolescents. By measuring these protective assets, the IPFI serves as a valuable tool for evaluation studies, particularly those focused on youth programs aimed at reducing violence, substance abuse, and other negative outcomes. The assessment provides program evaluators with specific metric data on positive psychological and social traits that can be targeted and reinforced through intervention strategies.

The scale is particularly useful for assessing individual readiness and environmental support, offering insight into how factors such as perceived support from caring adults or one’s own sense of control contribute to overall well-being and reduced risk engagement among middle and high school students.

Construct

The IPFI is a multidimensional instrument covering six main constructs, each representing a critical protective resource for youth development. These constructs are:

• Control: Measures an individual’s sense of agency and mastery over their own life outcomes, encompassing both self-efficacy (belief in one’s ability to succeed) and internal locus of control.
• Positive Outlook: Assesses a student’s future orientation and optimism regarding their long-term prospects, including expectations about family life, financial stability, and happiness.
• Self-Concept: Measures overall self-worth, including feelings of self-respect, likeability, and confidence in one’s abilities, divided into general self-concept and self-confidence subscales.
• Presence of Caring: Quantifies the perceived availability of reliable social support and guidance from trusted adults, which is crucial for developmental mentoring and stress management.
• Conflict Resolution: Evaluates skills related to managing interpersonal disputes constructively, focusing on behavioral self-control (non-aggression) and cooperation with others.
• Family Bonding: Measures the quality of the relationship with family members, including communication openness, mutual enjoyment of shared activities, and perceived familial support.

Validity

Specific detailed validity coefficients (e.g., construct validity, criterion validity) are not provided within the compendium source; however, the structured organization of the IPFI into distinct protective factors suggests an underlying effort towards strong construct validity. The development of distinct subscales for complex constructs like Control (Self-Efficacy and Self-Control) and Self-Concept (Self-Concept and Self-Confidence) indicates an attempt to ensure that each section measures a unique and theoretically meaningful aspect of adolescent resilience.

The instrument’s inclusion in authoritative compilations, such as the CDC’s resource on measuring violence-related attitudes, behaviors, and influences, supports its face validity and utility in related academic and clinical research contexts focused on risk assessment and prevention.

Reliability

Specific reliability statistics (e.g., Cronbach’s alpha, test-retest reliability) are not explicitly reported in the provided source material. The standardization of scoring and the clear, distinct scoring procedures for each subscale suggest that internal consistency was a consideration during the scale’s development. The scoring adjustments for blank items also aim to maintain the reliability of the total score even when minor data gaps occur, ensuring the scale provides a consistent measure of the underlying protective factors.

Factor Analysis

Based on the subscale structure, the IPFI appears to be conceptually organized around a multi-factor model. Although formal factor analysis results are not detailed, the scale is implicitly structured to load onto six primary factors (Control, Positive Outlook, Self-Concept, Presence of Caring, Conflict Resolution, and Family Bonding). Furthermore, some factors, such as Control and Conflict Resolution, are themselves comprised of distinct sub-factors (Self-Efficacy/Self-Control and Self-Control/Cooperation, respectively), suggesting a hierarchical factor structure designed to capture both broad protective capacities and specific skill sets.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-Report Psychological Inventory

Format: Likert-style responses (4-point scale: YES!, yes, no, NO!)

Language Available: English (as presented in the source document)

Population Group: Youth / Adolescents

Age Group: Students in grades 7-11 (typically ages 12 to 17)

Population Details: Developed initially within the context of the National Youth Sports Program evaluation.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate how closely several statements match their feelings, using a four-point scale ranging from “very true” (YES!) to “very false” (NO!). Scoring involves summing point values, often utilizing reverse-coded items to mitigate response bias. Scores are adjusted for minor missing data points.

Keywords

Adolescent psychology, Risk assessment, Resilience, Self-confidence, CDC compendium, Program evaluation, Youth development, Social support

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Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified in source material.

Correspondence Address: Not specified in source material. Original report prepared for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) by EMT Associates, Sacramento, CA.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was developed and evaluated in 1992. The instrument is publicly accessible through a publication distributed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The original PDF can be downloaded here: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/YV_Compendium.pdf. Specific fees for usage are not mentioned, but its inclusion in a public health compendium suggests broad availability for research purposes.

Reference’s

Phillips J, Springer F. Extended National Youth Sports Program 1991-92 evaluation highlights, part two: Individual Protective Factors Index (IPFI) and risk assessment study. Report prepared for the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Sacramento, CA: EMT Associates, 1992. (Unpublished)

Phillips J, and Springer, F. (1992). Extended National Youth Sports Program 1991-92 evaluation highlights, part two: Individual Protective Factors Index (IPFI) and risk assessment study. Report prepared for the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Sacramento, CA: EMT Associates Research, 7(2), 156-176.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Measuring Violence-Related Attitudes, Behaviors, and Influences Among Youths: A Compendium of Assessment Tools. Available online at: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/YV_Compendium.pdf

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Items of the Individual Protective Factors Index

Control—Individual Protective Factors Index

Self-Efficacy

1. Other people decide what happens to me.
2. It is important to think before you act.
3. If I study hard‚ I will get better grades.
4. When I try to be nice‚ people notice.
5. If you work hard‚ you will get what you want.
6. To make a good decision‚ it is important to think.
7. I am responsible for what happens to me.

Self-Control

8. Sometimes you have to physically fight to get what you want.
9. I get mad easy.
10. I do whatever I feel like doing.
11. When I am mad‚ I yell at people.
12. Sometimes I break things on purpose.
13. If I feel like it‚ I hit people.

Positive Outlook—Individual Protective Factors Index

1. I will probably die before I am thirty.
2. I think I will have a nice family when I get older.
3. I am afraid my life will be unhappy.
4. Bad things happen to people like me.
5. I think I can have a nice house when I grow up.
6. I will probably never have enough money.

Self-Concept—Individual Protective Factors Index

Self-Concept

1. I like the way I act.
2. People usually like me.
3. I can be trusted.
4. My life is all mixed up.
5. I can do most things I try.
6. I like the way I look.

Self-Confidence

7. I will always have friends.
8. I get along well with other people.
9. I like being around people.
10. It is hard for me to make friends.
11. My friends respect me.
12. I often feel lonely.

Presence of Caring—Individual Protective Factors Index

1. There are people I can depend on to help me if I really need it.
2. There is not an adult I can turn to for guidance in times of stress.
3. If something went wrong‚ no one would come to my assistance.
4. There is an adult I could talk to about important decisions in my life.
5. There is a trustworthy adult I could turn to for advice if I were ha‎ving problems.
6. There is no one I can depend on for help if I really need it.
7. There is no adult I can feel comfortable talking about my problems with.
8. There are people I can count on in an emergency.
9. There is a special person in my life who cares about my feelings.

Conflict Resolution—Individual Protective Factors Index

Self-Control

1. Sometimes you have to physically fight to get what you want.
2. I get mad easily.
3. I do whatever I feel like doing.
4. When I am mad‚ I yell at people.
5. Sometimes I break things on purpose.
6. If I feel like it‚ I hit people.

Cooperation

1. I like to help around the house.
2. Being part of a team is fun.
3. Helping others makes me feel good.
4. I always like to do my part.
5. It is important to do your part in helping at home.
6. Helping others is very satisfying.

Family Bonding—Individual Protective Factors Index

1. I can tell my parents the way I feel about things.
2. My family expects too much of me.
3. Sometimes I am ashamed of my parents.
4. My family has let me down.
5. I like to do things with my family.
6. I enjoy talking with my family.