Predictive Factors of Middle-school Students' Runaway Experience: About Individual, Home and Social Factors

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: In recent years, the problem of runaway youths, which is rapidly increasing and worsening in nature, has emerged as a serious problem to individuals, home and the society as a whole. Against this back drop, this study was designed to illuminate the danger signals through extensive analysis of factors influencing the running away of middle-school students and, on this basis, build a forecast model on runaway middle-school students. METHOD: The subjects of this descriptive survey on the causal relation were 592 subjects enrolled in middle schools selected through convenience sampling. The data collected from June 19 to July 19, 2003 were analysed through the SPSS 10.0 program. The differences between the runaway group and the non-runaway group were determined through chi-square and t-test. Also logistic regression analysis was conducted on the basis of the purposeful selection method for constructing the forecast model. RESULT: The findings are as follows: Individual-related factors predicting runaway middle-school students were smoking experience, delinquent experience, psychosomatic symptoms and stress. A home-related factor was attachment to family. A society-related factor was the number of delinquency friends. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study suggest that a broad intervention program should be provided to middle-school students' culture related to runaway group. It is also recommended that a variety of individual, home and society-related programs should be developed for the runaway group.