FAMILIAL BACKGROUNDS AND RISK BEHAVIORS OF YOUTH WITH THROWNAWAY EXPERIENCES

Many homeless youth may also be considered ''thrownaway'' in that they have specifically been told to leave home. In this study, thrownaway experiences among homeless youth are examined in two national samples: (a) a nationally representative sample of youth residing in youth she lters, and (b) a purposive sample of street youth in 10 cities. Preval ence of thrownaway experiences for the total samples and for demograph ic subgroups is provided, along with comparisons of the familial backg rounds and high-risk behaviors of youth with and without such experien ces. In both samples, youth with thrownaway experiences (who constitut ed nearly half of each sample) were more likely than youth without suc h experiences to report (a) that they had attempted suicide, used mari juana and other drugs (excluding cocaine), and had been involved in th e drug trade and carried hidden weapons; (b) that other family members had used illicit drugs during the 30 days before the youth left home; and (c) that they had spent at least 1 night away from home due to ph ysical and/or emotional abuse or neglect, familial conflict, and famil ial substance use. Thrownaway youth constitute a particularly vulnerab le subpopulation of homeless youth. A greater recognition and understa nding of such youth will facilitate design of services that better add ress their needs. (C) 1998 The Association for Professionals in Servic es for Adolescents.