A holistic view on youth runaway via the bioecological systems theory

• Main Authors: Gan, Jia Qi, Lim, Joseph Davidson Zhi Yao, Lim, Mei Ling
• Other Authors: Xu Hong
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::Psychology
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/76858
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Youth runaway behaviour is present in many societies around the world. There are a variety of factors that are associated or might influence youth runaway (e.g. family dysfunction, negative peer influence, biological makeup, and mental disorders). Despite the various measures and interventions adopted by these societies, youth runaway behaviour continues to be a serious and ongoing issue due to the difficulty in studying this population. Using Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Systems Theory (1979), this paper took on the nature versus nurture debate of human development by attempting to explain youth runaway behavior as the result of the interaction between the individual and his or her environment. The various factors discussed in this paper will be categorised into the following systems according to the model - individual, microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem. This is to provide a clearer understanding of how these systems can influence and contribute to youth runaway behaviour as part of later child development. Runaway behavior might lead to a host of negative consequences to the individual, his or her close others, and the society at large. All these will be discussed to highlight the gravity of the issue and to bring about a call for action. Some of the currently available interventions and measures will also be discussed. Finally, with a better understanding of how the various contributing factors can lead to runaway behaviour, the paper will touch on a short discussion on the possible approaches and interventions that can be used to address this issue.