Running away experience and psychoactive substance use among adolescents in Taiwan: multi-city street outreach survey.
BACKGROUND
This study aimed to examine: 1) the relationship between being a runaway and the time since the first absconding event and adolescent substance use; 2) whether different kinds of psychoactive substances have a different temporal relationship to the first absconding event; and 3) whether the various reasons for the first absconding event are associated with different risks of substance use.


METHODS
Participants were drawn from the 2004-2006 nationwide outreach programs across 26 cities/towns in Taiwan. A total of 17,133 participants, age 12-18 years, who completed an anonymous questionnaire on their experience of running away and substances use and who were now living with their families, were included in the analysis.


RESULTS
The lifetime risk of tobacco, alcohol, betel nut, and illegal drug/inhalant use increased steadily from adolescents who had experienced a trial runaway episode (one time lasting <or= 1 day), to those with extended runaway experience (>or= 2 times or lasting > 1 day), when compared to those who had never ran away. Adolescents who had their first running away experience > 6 months previously had a greater risk of betel nut or illegal drug/inhalant use over the past 6-months than those with a similar experience within the last 6 months. Both alcohol and tobacco use were most frequently initiated before the first running away, whereas both betel nut and illegal drug/inhalant use were most frequently initiated after this event. When adolescents who were fleeing an unsatisfactory home life were compared to those who ran away for excitement, the risk of alcohol use was similar but the former tended to have a higher risk of tobacco, betel nut, and illegal drug/inhalant use.


CONCLUSIONS
More significant running away and a longer time since the first absconding experience were associated with more advanced substance involvement among adolescents now living in a family setting. Once adolescents had left home, they developed additional psychoactive substance problems, regardless of their reasons for running away. These findings have implications for caregivers, teachers, and healthcare workers when trying to prevent and/or intervening in adolescent substance use.
Wang
Shi-Heng
SH
Institute of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, 17 Xuzhou Road, Taipei 100, Taiwan.
Chen
Wen-Chun
WC
Lew-Ting
Chih-Yin
CY
Chen
Chuan-Yu
CY
Chen
Wei J
WJ
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects; D012419:Runaway Behavior / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D014505:Urban Population
D013287:Illicit Drugs; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs