Runaway (dependent)
A runaway is a child or minor who has left their parents or legal guardians without permission. A person who runs away usually does so because of problems in the family.[1] Girls run away more often than boys.[2]
It looks like the following makes children run away most often:
- Parents do not care much about their children
- There is physical or sexual abuse in the family
- At least one parent is addicted to drugs, or alcohol
- There is violence in the famlily.
In 9 out of 10 cases (89%), other children give a child the idea to run away.[3]
When the runaway children were asked, half of them said, that at least one parent had a problem with alcohol; a third said, at least one parent was addicted to drugs.[4]
Problems after running away
Running away will cause problems for the child: About half of the children that run away will no longer go to school.[5] These children also have a higher risk of becoming criminals, or victims. Most will become homeless. They have a high risk of becoming addicted to drugs, of catching sexually transmitted infections, of having an unwanted pregnancy, of suffering from depression, of trying to commit suicide, and of being exposed to sexual exploitation.[6] Post-traumatic stress disorder is more common in runaway youths. Trauma generally begins with runaway youth's experiences within the family and is increased by prolonged traumatic events.[4] The likelihood of depression among female runaways is related to family conflict and communication. Depression in male runaways is typically related to the father being an alcoholic and poor family relationships. Negative interactions within the family appear to greatly influence depressive symptoms for both genders.[7]
References
Other webistes
- National Runaway Switchboard for young people in the United States and U.S. Territories
- The Runaway Helpline for young people in the United Kingdom
- Family and Youth Services Bureau Archived 2012-07-20 at the Wayback Machine
- National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth Archived 2018-04-30 at the Wayback Machine
