Runaways and Non-Runaways in an American Suburb - An Exploratory Study of Adolescent and Parental Coping

• NCJ Number: 81322
• Author(s): A R Roberts
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 127 pages
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; John Jay Press
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Criminal Justice Center Monograph Number 13

Annotation

This study examines to what extent runaways experience stressful events before leaving their homes and if any patterns emerge which suggest that differing stresses and coping mechanisms have been used by juveniles who run away from home in comparison to those who do not run away.

Abstract

A total of 60 juveniles, 30 runaways and 30 nonrunaways, were interviewed at a suburban counseling center. All of them were under 18 years of age and had stayed away from their homes without parental permission for at least 24 hours. To verify the subjects' responses, 10 parents of the runaways and 12 parents of the nonrunaways were interviewed. A review of the literature notes that three perspectives on adolescent runaways dominate the literature: psychopathological theories, situational theories, and typologies of runaways. Each is discussed, and the adolescents' perceptions of discipline and stress are given according to age and race, sex, and family structure. The subjects' attitudes toward school, future goals, leisure activities, conflicts with parents, and coping methods are discussed. Parents' and subjects' perceptions of the incidents that triggerred the runaway episode are also addressed as are the runaways' experiences on the street. The data revealed that stressful events had a major influence on the lives of the adolescents studied. It was found that stress is more likely to occur among runaways than among nonrunaways and that specific patterns of daily living were apparent among the runaways and seemed to contribute to their running away. Four explanations for the runaway phenomenon were identified: (1) running away as a response to experiencing three or more stressful events, (2) running away as a result of adolescents' failure to reduce stress with traditional coping methods, (3) running away as a response to stressful events, and (4) running away as a result of adolescents' lack of competence in patterns to reduce the impact of their crises. Also addressed are legal issues affecting runaways, programs for runaways, and areas for further research. The interview guides and about 180 references are appended.