Do Hurt Girls Run Differently? Analyzing Maltreatment, Runaway Behavior, and Gender Among Juvenile Offenders

• In Event: 033 - Section on Crime, Law, and Deviance Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 05. Children, Youth and Violence 1

Abstract

Running away from care is a critical experience in a web of maltreatment, delinquency, parental dysfunction, and substance use. The susceptibility and consequences of childhood trauma may be more severe for girls, particularly runaway behavior, and juveniles with multiple adversities may be especially at-risk. This study employs a cumulative trauma model to investigate the impact of adverse experiences on runaway behavior, and whether this relationship varies by gender. We employ multivariate logistic regression to analyze a sample of 80,441 juvenile offenders from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. Youth with more adverse childhood experiences (ACE) were significantly more likely to run away, and this effect was moderated by gender. Juveniles with five ACES were nearly six times more likely to run away than juveniles with zero ACEs when controlling for socioeconomic and demographic factors; and females with five ACEs were twice as likely to runaway as males with five ACEs. The cumulative approach illuminated the significance of multiple adversities, providing further insight into how maltreatment impacts individuals’ behavior. Future research should examine the gendered nature of vulnerability, victimizations and coping mechanisms, as well as the underlining processes. Educators, law enforcement agencies, child welfare agencies, and health care professionals must further develop trauma-informed services, with a particular sensitivity for girls with multiple adverse experiences.

Authors

• Micah Johnson, University of Florida

• Melissa Bright, University of Florida

• Nancy Hardt, University of Florida

• Nathan Epps, Florida Department of Juvenile Justice