Early Child Maltreatment, Runaway Youths, and Risk of Delinquency and Victimization in Adolescence: A Mediational Model

Abstract

This article examines whether running away from home mediates the link between child maltreatment and later delinquency and victimization in adolescence. Specifically, the authors tested the hypothesis that childhood physical and psychological abuse increase the risk of a child's running away from home by the time of adolescence. Running away from home is, in turn, hypothesized to increase the risk of delinquency and victimization. Childhood sexual abuse, modeled independently of physical and psychological abuse, is hypothesized to have a similar effect on the intervening factor of running away, as well as the two adolescent outcomes: delinquency and victimization. The sample of 416 adolescents was drawn from the Lehigh Longitudinal Study conducted in a two-county area of Pennsylvania. Findings show that physical and psychological abuse predict a child's running away from home. Running away predicts later delinquency and victimization and partially mediates the effect of earlier abuse. Both child abuse and running away from home are adverse events that can be addressed through systematic prevention and intervention efforts tailored to those who have been victimized. Findings can support social workers in their efforts to advocate on behalf of child abuse victims in developing interventions and support services.