ABSTRACT
Much has been written about deviant and criminal behaviors among runaway and homeless adolescents. Drug dealing was more likely among adolescents who had biological parents who abused alcohol and/or drugs. Young people with family histories that were positive for substance abuse experienced the concomitant disorganization associated with such families including earlier and more independent transitions. Early independence and the effects of family history contribute to relationships with friends who are involved in deviant behaviors and to alcohol and drug use. Adolescents who turned to drug dealing as a survival strategy were more likely to have biological parents who were substance abusers. Those who engaged in survival sex were much more like to have been sexually victimized by an adult caretaker. Having a biological parent who had a substance abuse problem with alcohol or drugs was directly positively associated with adolescent drug dealing.
