THE REASON WHY TEENAGERS RUN AWAY Research Paper

THE REASON WHY TEENAGERS RUN AWAY - Research Paper Example Teenagers run away from their home due to many reasons and the consequences are usually very severe. There are basically five kinds of runaways, though there may be variations and overlapping within: situational, recidivist, street, chronic, and thrown away. Situational runaways constitute the largest group of youths who leave home. They usually are away for a day or two following a quarrel with parents before returning home. Chronic runaways constantly run from home and remain away for longer stretches of time, often progressing to street youth. Recidivists or repeat runaways leave home more than once, sometimes staying with friends, others living on streets or shelters. Studies show that recidivists’ runners are more likely than non-recidivists runawys to leave home due to problems involving family dynamics, substance abuse, transportation, and judicial systems among others. Street youth runaways leave home permanently and as the term suggests, tend to literally live on the streets and must fend for themselves. Some street kids also spend time staying in transitory housing such as shelters or abandoned building, and are most at risk for victimization. Thrown away leave homes as a result of dispute with parents or guardians, or are abandoned. Some thrown away youths also fall into other categories of runaways (Barri, 9). A big problem in the American household today is child abuse. Abuse comes in a variety of ways; physical, sexual, and mental. Children who experience abuse are more likely to run away from home than children who are not exposed to it. With any kind of abuse a child goes through it immediately starts to affect them psychologically. Children try to cope with the abuse at first; some are able to push it away while others wear the abuse on their face and it shows to everyone around them. Around the world an estimated forty million children suffer from