Impulsiveness or self-protection? Exploring individual perceptions, family and school strains related to why adolescents run away from home in China. (January 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Yu, Yanping; Atkinson-Sheppard, Sally; Gao, Yunjiao
• Is Part Of: Children and youth services review. Volume 108(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-01
• Subjects: Qualitative -- Runaway adolescents -- Strains -- Individual perceptions -- China; Social work with children -- Periodicals; Social work with youth -- Periodicals; Adolescent -- Periodicals; Child Welfare -- Periodicals; Social Work -- Periodicals; Service social aux enfants -- Périodiques; Service social à la jeunesse -- Périodiques; Electronic journals; 362.705
• DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.104615
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0190-7409

Abstract

Highlights: The study investigates why adolescents run away from home in China. Runaway behavior is a result of the interaction between environmental precursors and individual factors. Running away from home is the last resort for the majority of adolescents. Policy and service should focus on establishing an executable child protection system. Abstract: Adolescents under the age of 18 running away from home is an 'ill-timed' event, but there has been a paucity of empirical research exploring why adolescents run away from home in China. To address this, and by drawing on intensive in-depth interviews with 40 runaway adolescents, this study examined how the interactions between family and school strains as well as adolescents' perceptions of those experiences facilitate their decision to leave home in China. The study found that unstable transitions among parents and other caregivers, abuse by parents and other caregivers, neglect by parents, and exclusion from school were common strains prior to an adolescent's decision to leave home. The adolescents in this study perceived their family and school experiences as overwhelmingly negative and struggled to cope with these strains; running away from home became the last resort for the majority of participants. In conclusion, this study supports the social-psychological perspective that runaway behavior is a result of the interaction between environmental precursors and individual factors. Policy and practical implications related to reducing runaway adolescents are considered and should focus on establishing an executable child protection system.