What is the IPFI and what does it measure?

The Individual Protective Factors Index (IPFI) is a 71-item questionnaire designed to measure resiliency among youth. The instrument provides a single measure that captures the various protective factors that have been identified as contributing to individual resiliency in children who are at-risk

The IPFI was developed as a tool for evaluating prevention programs for youth between the ages of 10 and 16. The instrument has been used extensively in high-risk populations and is the product of extensive conceptual development and empirical testing including norming and validation studies on 2,416 high risk youth in 15 states nationwide.

The IPFI measures three major domains in which researchers have identified protective factors: social bonding, personal competence, and social competence.

Social bonding: Social bonding concerns positive response and commitment to basic social institutions such as family, school, and community. Social bonding measures the degree to which youth feel satisfactory involvement and motivation for accomplishment and effort in various social institutions. This domain reflects one prominent school of explanation for resiliency: that positive ties to social institutions give the individual and investment in them and in pro-social behavior. Within this domain, the IPFI contains three dimensions: pro-social norms, school bonding, family bonding.

Personal competence: Elements in this domain focus on one's sense of individual identity. Measures relate to the personal development of youth and the development of their own self-image and outlook. The ability to function effectively as a decision-making person in control of one's future is a common underlying them. The IPFI contains four dimensions within this domain: self-concept, self-control, self-efficacy, positive outlook.

Social competence: Social competence is considered to be a commonly identified attribute of resilient children. The common theme of social competence is the ability to be responsive, caring and flexible in social situations. The child or adult who has these qualities will elicit positive response and reinforcement, with positive personal results. The IPFI has three dimensions within this domain: assertiveness, confidence, cooperation.

How can the IPFI be used?

The IPFI measures several domains in one questionnaire; it addresses attitude and behavior toward substances; and it collects general demographic data of youth taking the survey. The information it makes available can serve several purposes:

• Measure of Program Effectiveness
• Measure of Specific Areas of Program Effectiveness
• Measure of Baseline Conditions of a Populations
• Identification of Subpopulations with Fewer Protective Factors