NCJ Number
164321
Date Published
1995
Length
107 pages
Annotation
Runaway adolescents were studied with respect to the nature and incidence of physical and sexual abuse experienced by these adolescents at home and on the street and the relationships among their self-esteem and factors such as the age of onset, frequency, and severity of the physical and sexual abuse.
Abstract
The participants were runaways who sought shelter at the Convent House shelter in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1987. Information was collected by means of semi-structured interviews of 195 runaways, as well as questionnaires on self-esteem completed by a comparison group of 173 urban and rural high school students. Results revealed that 81 percent of the runaways had experienced physical abuse, and 65 percent had experienced crime and violence on the street. Thirty-eight percent had had a sexual experience with a family member, and 24 percent had had unwanted sexual experiences with authority figures. The youths described experiencing abuse at a young age and most had been severely abused. The high school population had significantly higher self-esteem than the runaways. However, the level, frequency, and type of abuse were not related to self-esteem among the runaways. Findings indicated that these youths are prematurely on their own trying to function without the skills and resources necessary to become productive members of society. Findings have implications for policymakers, health care providers, social service providers, and educators who are trying to meet the needs of these adolescents. Figures, tables, chapter notes, and 93 references