Patterns of Running The number of times a youth leaves home is important. The runaways studied have left home anywhere from one to 110 times. Four in 10 of them have run away more than three times. The median age for the cycle of running is 14 years old for this group. Most youths remain away from home between one month and one year.
Females tend to return home sooner than males.
Non surprisingly, it is the older youths who stay away from home the longest. Overall, runaways who report physical or sexual abuse as reasons for running first leave home at an early age. In addition, preteen runaways, both male and female, are more likely to report physical abuse than the older runaways. There is a relationship between the youth's reasons for leaving and the number of times they have run away. Youths who have run away only once or twice are more likely to claim that they wanted a new experience than are adolescents who have run away a number of times.