Protective Factors & Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Learn how childhood experiences, supportive relationships, and protective factors shape healthy development and family well-being.
Understanding ACEs and Protective Factors
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are potentially stressful or traumatic events that can impact a child’s development, health, and long-term well-being.
Protective factors are the conditions that help buffer the impact of stress and support healthy development.
Together, they provide a framework for understanding both risk and resilience in children and families.
What Are Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)?
ACEs may include:
Household instability or separation from caregivers
Exposure to violence or conflict
Caregiver mental health or substance use challenges
Neglect or chronic stress in the home
These experiences can affect development over time, but they do not determine a child’s future.
With supportive relationships and protective factors, children can build resilience and recover from adversity.
Learning About ACEs and Prevention
These videos help explain how ACEs and prevention are understood at both national and community levels.
ACEs & Prevention Webinar
(PSN / PCA America)
This webinar explores Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), prevention strategies, and how strengthening protective factors supports family well-being.
“Bad Parenting” Awareness Perspective (PCA America)
This resource from Prevent Child Abuse America challenges common assumptions about “bad parenting” and highlights how stress, support systems, and context shape caregiving.
Protective Factors That Strengthen Families
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Nurturing Relationships
Stable, caring relationships help children feel safe and supported.
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Social Connections
Supportive networks reduce isolation and stress.
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Parenting Knowledge
Understanding child development supports confident caregiving.
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Concrete Support in Times of Need
Access to resources like food, housing, and services reduces crisis pressure.
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Emotional Well-Being
Coping skills and mental health support strengthen family stability.
Prevention Framework Spotlight
As the Rhode Island state chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America, PSN's prevention work is guided by the Blueprint for Family Well-Being—a national framework that emphasizes strengthening families, building protective factors, and creating the conditions where children can thrive.
The Blueprint helps shift the conversation from responding to crises to supporting family well-being before challenges become crises.
National and Local Prevention Resources
Our work is aligned with national prevention strategies and evidence-based frameworks that help communities understand and respond to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).
These resources provide tools, data, and guidance for strengthening families and building protective factors.
RESOURCE LINKS
Together, these resources reflect a shared understanding that ACEs are a public health issue, and that prevention depends on strengthening protective factors, family supports, and community systems.