NCJ Number
111690
Journal
Canadian Journal of Special Education Volume: 3 Issue: 1 Dated: (1987) Pages: 31-51
Date Published
1987
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This paper reviews literature on runaways, focusing particularly on Canadian and U.S. data, and describes problems related to dealing with this behavior.
Abstract
Recent findings of two committees -- the Committee on Sexual Offenses Against Children and Youth and the Special Committee on Pornography and Prostitution -- drew public attention to the hardships of street life, which for many runaways end in juvenile prostitution. National data on runaways are scarce. Two conventional psychological explanations for runaway behavior are that this behavior is the result of socially induced pressure rather than pathological impulses, and that runaways have weak personal bonds to social convention. Various views dominate literature on runaways: the pathological, the delinquent, the normal maturational, the healthy, and the situational perspectives. Some have classified runaways in several groups with various labels on the basis of the source of their problems, i.e., victims fleeing from physical abuse or rebels fleeing from authority. Reasons for leaving home range from poor communication to peer pressure, with family stress or conflict as the most prevalent cause. One-fourth of runaways return within a week, and about one-tenth remain on the run over a year. Information was not provided for more than three-fourths of the group. A profile of runaways indicates a strong history of physical, sexual, and verbal abuse. Preventive, supportive, and rehabilitative services are needed. Preventive services should include conflict resolution skills; supportive services should be directed to child's present and future needs (food, medical services, psychological support); and rehabilitative services should provide ongoing individual and family therapy. 3 tables and 60 references. (Author abstract modified)