Oooh She’s a Little Runaway: Examining Invariance in Runaway Youth Trajectories by Developmental and Life-Course Risk Factors and Gender

Runaway behavior is incredibly prevalent among youth and has been associated with a host of negative distal outcomes to include repeat running, victimization, and future offending. Notably, girls run away at higher frequencies than boys, and the experiences, motivations, and effects of running away appear to vary by gender. However, relatively little is known regarding the risk factors associated with runaways, or whether these risk factors are invariant by gender or frequency of runaway behavior. Using a group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM) on a sample of youth runaways in Florida, this study aims to identify the distinct trajectories of runaway events throughout adolescence, and whether risk factors implicated in developmental and life-course criminology (DLC) theories are applicable to runaways of varying frequency and gender. Results of the GBTM identified two distinct runaway trajectories (chronic and low rate runaway groups) and, as such, establishes the first empirical definition for chronic runaway status. In addition, findings indicate both symmetry and variance in runaway behavior and risk factors by gender and runaway frequency. These findings underscore the applicability of DLC theory to high-risk youth beyond juvenile offenders and the need for more individualized prevention and intervention strategies tailored to the distinct risk factors among runaway youth, particularly for girls and chronic runaways.