NCJ Number
216586
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect: The International Journal Volume: 30 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2006 Pages: 1117-1128
Date Published
October 2006
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This study assessed family characteristics and community size as factors in youth running away from home, developing deviant survival strategies, and experiencing "street" victimization.
Abstract
The study found that at a higher level of physical abuse, rural youth ran away from home at an older age and used deviant survival strategies to a greater extent than similarly situated urban runaways. For abused rural youth, engaging in street deviance for survival may put them at higher risk for victimization by street predators and involvement with the justice system. Consistent with previous research, abusive and neglectful family environments predicted running away. Rural adolescents delayed their first runaway by nearly a year and a half compared to urban youth who experienced similar abuse and neglect in their families. Contrary to previous studies, neglect and abuse did not predict the use of deviant survival strategies. Physical abuse had little influence on urban adolescents' survival by means of the street economy, but rural youth were more involved in subsistence on the street when they reported a higher incidence of physical abuse. Consistent with previous research, dysfunctional family relations were linked to exploitation and victimization of runaways on the street. A convenience sample of 602 adolescents was interviewed between 1995 and August 1996 in Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas. Ages ranged from 12 to 22 years, with the average at 16 for females and 16.6 years for males. The three outcome variables were age at first running away from home, deviant survival strategies, and street victimization. Predictor variables pertained to sexual abuse, physical abuse, and neglect prior to the first runaway episode. Based on community size, the sample was divided into rural and urban. 2 tables, 1 figure, and 32 references