<p>The aim with this thesis is to study how the phenomenon young people who run away from home (runaways) is presented in the research literature. The question at issue in our thesis is: How does research literature present the phenomenon of young people who run away from home? We have selected seven primary documents that we consider gives a broad picture of the knowledge about runaways. We have a postmodern and a hermeneutic approach in our thesis. Our material has been analyzed on the basis of social constructionist theory and the new sociological paradigm of childhood. The research findings show that there are no uniform picture of the young people who run away from home. The act, to run away from home, is also described in various ways. Runaways are often described as victims of difficult life circumstances and the act, to run away from home, is in most cases considered as a reaction to a serious situation at home. We also found descriptions where the young people are presented as strong manipulative individuals. The act, to run away from home, is presented as a violation against the universal social norms considering when and how the youth is allowed to leave the parental home.</p>

The aim with this thesis is to study how the phenomenon young people who run away from home (runaways) is presented in the research literature. The question at issue in our thesis is: How does research literature present the phenomenon of young people who run away from home? We have selected seven primary documents that we consider gives a broad picture of the knowledge about runaways. We have a postmodern and a hermeneutic approach in our thesis. Our material has been analyzed on the basis of social constructionist theory and the new sociological paradigm of childhood. The research findings show that there are no uniform picture of the young people who run away from home. The act, to run away from home, is also described in various ways. Runaways are often described as victims of difficult life circumstances and the act, to run away from home, is in most cases considered as a reaction to a serious situation at home. We also found descriptions where the young people are presented as strong manipulative individuals. The act, to run away from home, is presented as a violation against the universal social norms considering when and how the youth is allowed to leave the parental home.

<p>The purpose of this study was to examine high school students conceptions of young people who run away or get thrown out of their homes. Earlier research shows that this group of young people often come from families were physical, psychological and sexual abuse is reappearing factors. They often face a life of homelessness, drug abuse and prostitution. Still there is little research done about this phenomenon and what kind of help and support these young people could need. This study was done in a qualitative approach with the use of focus groups. The results were analyzed through the theoretical views of socialconstructivism and theorizing childhood and were also compared with earlier research. The results showed that about half of the participants had in some point in their life run away from home. They expressed that they thought that there are many young people who run away or get thrown out of their homes each year and that many of them probably don´t come to the knowledge of the social services. Their thoughts of what risks youths may encounter on the streets accord with results from earlier research. They also think that friends are the most valuable in terms of help and support.</p>

The purpose of this study was to examine high school students conceptions of young people who run away or get thrown out of their homes. Earlier research shows that this group of young people often come from families were physical, psychological and sexual abuse is reappearing factors. They often face a life of homelessness, drug abuse and prostitution. Still there is little research done about this phenomenon and what kind of help and support these young people could need. This study was done in a qualitative approach with the use of focus groups. The results were analyzed through the theoretical views of socialconstructivism and theorizing childhood and were also compared with earlier research. The results showed that about half of the participants had in some point in their life run away from home. They expressed that they thought that there are many young people who run away or get thrown out of their homes each year and that many of them probably don´t come to the knowledge of the social services. Their thoughts of what risks youths may encounter on the streets accord with results from earlier research. They also think that friends are the most valuable in terms of help and support.

The purpose of this study is to examine how young people with experience of running away and/or getting thrown out look upon and understand the phenomenon. Another purpose of thestudy is to examine how the youth evaluate the help and support they did or did not receive at the time of their experience, as well as to examine what the ultimate help and support would be according to them. The study was done in a qualitative approach with the use of focus groups and individual interviews. The results were analyzed through the perspective of the ‘sociology of childhood’. Results show, in accordance with earlier studies on the subject, that the youth run away or are thrown out from homes where constant conflicts as well as psychological, physical and sexual abuse are recurring factors. The youth expressed that social services do not listen to them and that their reports of abuse and neglect are not taken seriously. Results further show that the youth consider help finding a new home as well as emotional and economical support to be appropriate kinds of help in this situation. They stress that help and support efforts have to be individually adjusted.