Background:

Mental illness in children is a growing phenomenon. Every child has the right to the highest attainable standard of health and health care professionals have a duty to promote the process of the child by providing the best possible care. There are risk factors that pose a risk for the child to develop mental health problems and protective factors are factors that support the mental health and can counteract risk factors. Aim: The aim of this study was to explore factors in the surrounding environment and individual factors affecting mental health problems in children. Method: A literature review where eight quantitative studies and one qualitative study has been analyzed. Results: The study resulted in three categories which were social factors, factors within the family and individual factors. Social factors include the residential area's environment and conditions for the economy, jobs and education, factors within the family include family composition and functioning and mental illness among parents. Individual factors contained personal risk factors and mental illness. Conclusion: By health professionals have a better understanding of risk factors in children, medical professionals can work proactively with mental health. Working with health factors in the child means that caring has a more salutogenic perspective, which is to promote health