Deviant behavior and victimization among homeless and runaway adolescents

This study used a high-risk population of runaway and homeless adolescents to investigate the effects of a history of caretaker abuse and deviant subs istence strategies on victimization among adolescents. Based on a multisite ,sample of 974 homeless and runaway adolescents, logistic regression models were used first to examine factors predicting involvement in sexual and no nsexual deviant subsistence strategies and then to investigate the effects of deviant subsistence strategies on physical and sexual victimization when adolescents were on the streets. Results indicated that is-hen controlling for all other factors, including histories of physical and sexual maltreat ment in families of origin, street behaviors, sexual orientation, and infor mal support systems, engaging in nonsexual deviant subsistence strategies i ncreased the likelihood of physical victimization more than two times. Enga ging in sexual deviant subsistence strategies increased the likelihood of s exual victimization almost four tinges. The results are interpreted in term s of life course developmental theory and lifestyle exposure theories.