Runaway youth are at heightened risk
for violence, substance use, suicide, and other high risk concerns.
Qualitative studies have examined youth choices to leave home, involvement living on the streets, and lived experiences as
stigmatized youth; however, findings
from these various studies have never been analyzed together into a single
synthesis of information. The purpose of this article is to synthesize the
qualitative data using Qualitative Interpretative Meta-Synthesis. The
researcher completed a systematic search to locate studies focused on girls who
were or had been runaways, extracting themes from 10 articles to create new overarching themes that encompassed each of the
articles. Results showed six new overarching themes: power/control,
stigma, physical needs, safety, belonging, and acceptance. The themes of
physical needs, safety, belonging, and
acceptance are discussed using Maslow’s hierarchy of needs paradigm.
Together, the themes are constructed to discuss how helping professionals can
be better prepared to help meet the myriad needs of runaway girls by utilizing
the hierarchy of needs presented by Maslow. This research article provides a unique insight into working with a
vulnerable population by weaving together
the experiences and words of the individuals whose real-life narratives have shaped the discussion.
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