| This study presents results of interviews conducted with eighteen runaway youth (ten men and eight women) from Orthodox Jewish backgrounds. All study participants were interviewed once and thirteen out of eighteen agreed to second interviews totaling 31 interviews. The study explored reasons for running away, the psychosocial impact of a strict religious upbringing on the runaway phenomenon and describes life for these youth after leaving their insular world. The young adults described their family environment as chaotic and abusive---similar to the environments described in the plethora of literature on runaway youth. Family size, spiritual abuse and Ba'al Teshuvah issues seem to differentiate these adolescents from their secular peers. Touching and naive reflections of their first forays into the secular world are presented. Unlike their secular peers, the Orthodox "safety net" provides housing, food and other services preventing most harmful sequelae like homelessness and disease. |
