ABSTRACT
Even for young people whose lives are progressing well, adolescence is a time of shifting social networks. As children move from the relatively supervised social environments of childhood into the greater independence of adolescent friendships, social networks become more complex and more compartmentalized. Homeless adolescent social networks are often characterized by series of intense, but short-lived friendships and sexual relationships. During adolescence, peer relationships perform an important role in the acquisition of social skills and the rules for social relationships. The social worlds of the runaways were made up predominantly of same-aged friends, acquaintances, boyfriends, and girlfriends. Same-aged social networks have critical developmental consequences. In age-segregated social networks, when adolescents are troubled, hurt, or in need, they must turn to someone who may be in the same situation. Support networks are crucial influences of adolescent behaviors. Conventional peer groups' moderate deviant behaviors, nonconventional peer groups increase them.
