Recidivism at a shelter for adolescents: First-time versus repeat runaways

This article presents the results of a study that examined child and family influences on recidivism for 166 youths admitted to a shelter. The youths fell into two groups: (1) those who had run away before (repeat runaways) and (2) those who had run away for the first time (first-time runaways). Results indicated divergent pathways to shelter use and return within a 12-month period between these subgroups. Youth emotional problems were significantly related to recidivism for repeat runaways, whereas family changes and length of stay at the shelter were significantly related to recidivism for first-time runaways. Implications for design and delivery of a system of care to meet the complex mental health needs of runaway adolescents are discussed.