Adolescent Life Stress as a Predictor of Alcohol Abuse and/or Runaway Behavior

摘要

The report presents the research findings of a 1975-76 study on alcohol abuse among runaways and their families, as well as a substudy on the relation of the life stress to adolescent running away behavior. The study sample consisted of 600 runaways interviewed in runaway centers from across the country, and 300 non runaway controls. The runaways and controls had similar drinking patterns. The frequency of liquor consumption for both groups was nearly identical. A liquor consumption for both groups was nearly identical. A number number of variables differentiate the groups. Only on third of the runaways were from homes with both natural parents; of those not living with both parents, one third had lived in the new home less than three years. Over 40 percent of the runaways had divorced parents, while less than 30 percent of the controls came from similar circumstances. Many more runaways than controls had problems with school and considered themselves poor students. They started drinking earlier than the controls, and for negative, escape-oriented reasons.