ABSTRACT
Criteria for conduct disorder (CD) comprise a number of disruptive behaviors. The basic requirement for the disorder is that children must “manifest a lot of these behaviors if they are to be given the diagnosis” (Angold & Costello, 2001, p. 126). This corresponds to the developmental histories of the majority of runaway and homeless adolescents. Most exhibit multiple behavioral problems prior to and after their first runaway episode (Hagen & McCarthy, 1997; Kipke, Simon, Montgomery, Unger, & Iverson, 1997; Whitbeck & Hoyt, 1999; Whitbeck, Hoyt, Yoder, Cauce, & Paradise, 2001). Many will meet lifetime diagnostic criteria for CD. Indeed, the diagnostic criteria for CD in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, third edition, revised (DSM-III-R; American Psychiatric Association, 1987) includes “repeated running away from home overnight” (p. 48) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 2000) for CD includes “has run away from home overnight on at least two occasions while living in a parental or parental surrogate home or once without returning for a lengthy period” (p. 99).
