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The intergenerational transmission of running away: Childhood experiences of the parents of runaways

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Abstract

Research into the etiology of running away has long provided evidence for the influence of family factors such as abuse, parent-child conflict, and child stress on an adolescent's decision to leave home. This paper offers evidence for the possibility that running away may be deeply entrenched in patterns of family interaction that extend across generations. Using data from the National Incidence Study of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Throwaway Children (NISMART), the influence of parents' own childhood experiences with running away on the behaviors of their children is illustrated. The importance of examining the influence of such intergenerational transmission factors, separate and in addition to more traditional predictors of running away, is demonstrated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, University of Virginia in Charlottesville, USA

    Peggy S. Plass (Lecturer)

  2. Department of Criminal Justice, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

    Gerald T. Hotaling (Professor)

Authors
  1. Peggy S. Plass
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  2. Gerald T. Hotaling
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Received a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of New Hampshire. Present research interests are in the area of criminal victimization of children.

Received a doctoral degree in sociology from the University of New Hampshire. Current research interests focus on missing and abducted children.

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Plass, P.S., Hotaling, G.T. The intergenerational transmission of running away: Childhood experiences of the parents of runaways. J Youth Adolescence 24, 335–348 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01537600

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01537600

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