Analysis on the stories of runaway teenagers who are under i̇nstitutional care in Ankara

Adolescence constitutes an important transition period in the development process. The decisions taken, the behaviors and the choices made in this period affect the remaining life of the individuals. When evaluated in respect to its results, the behavior of elopement comes in the foremost among negative behaviors. The behavior of elopement is seen as an important problem of adolescence. This has become a major social problem specifically in Turkey. Whether the reason for an individual's eloping is due to his/her own wishes or the pressures he/she experiences, it causes serious psychological, social, economic and physical problems on the future of their lives. When an examination concerning the literature on this area is made, it is understood thatthere are studies about it, but they are not high in number. For this reason, the process of realizing this behavior is revealed; the causes and solutions must be produced. In line with these basic objectives, the experiences of the eloped adolescents who were taken under institutional care in Ankara provincewere examined. Using semi-structured interview directive, in-depth interviews were conducted in 12 adolescents who were under institutional care. Within the framework of the results obtained, the findings were basically grouped under five themes. These themes are; "Emotional factors" (lovelessness and indifference), "functions of the family" (weak family ties, divorced parents and fragmented family structure), "addiction" (substance use), "violence" (verbal and physical violence) and "search for freedom".