A Systematic Review of Protective and Promotive Factors across the Social-Ecological Model in Relation to Adolescent Dating Violence

Abstract

Experiencing adolescent dating violence (ADV) can have serious short- and long-term consequences. To date, most studies focus on risk factors of ADV; however, summarizing research on protective and promotive factors can provide critical information for intervention and prevention practices that foster healthy adolescent relationships. In the literature, many researchers conceptualize both promotive and protective factors broadly as “protective factors,” without making an analytic distinction, leaving the difference between the two ambiguous in the field. This systematic review summarized findings from quantitative studies (2000-July 2025) and identified protective and promotive factors related to ADV within the social-ecological model (SEM), focusing on adolescents aged 10 to 18 years in the United States and Canada. By examining the analytic approaches of each study, this review distinguished between protective and promotive factors. A total of 55 articles were identified through full-text screening of six databases. Factors were categorized across levels of the SEM: individual (n = 17), relationship (n = 40), community (n = 19), and societal (n = 8). Of these studies, 65% examined promotive factors, 25% examined protective factors, and 10% examined both. Findings highlighted the importance of examining both protective and promotive factors to clarify their unique contributions and to advance theoretical and empirical rigor. These results also emphasize the need to consider multilevel factors in ADV prevention and call for future research that integrates both protective and promotive perspectives to inform strength-based practices.