RETURNING RUNAWAY GIRLS TO REHABILITATION CENTERS: FACTORS RELATED TO SOCIAL PROBLEMS

	Mostafa Eghlima, PhD.; Asghar Dadkhah, PhD. University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences Tehran-Iran
	Dr. Asghar Dadkhah, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, asgaredu@uswr.ac.ir

ABSTRACT Girls suffering from abuse at home and running away from intolerable situations is neither new in Iran nor confined to particular sections of Iranian society. Run-away girls and their tendency to damage and social deviation, is one of the social pathologies that take place in each society. This research looks at the main effective factors of returning women and girls with social problems to rehabilitation centers. This research was carried out on 300 participants in "Omidvar" and "Horriat" centers in Tehran and Mashhad. The variables were compared in two groups: one group with one girl returning and the other with several returning. Research outcome reveals that demographic status of family situation, pathological condition and psychological status of clients in the two groups were significantly different. A questionnaire, Raven test and MMPI test, and statistical T test and X2 test were used as research tools. Key Words: Women, Girls, Rehabilitation Center, Social Problems.

INTRODUCTION

Nowadays, with urban and industrial living expansion, and irregular progression of cities, immigration from rural areas to large cities, boundary extension, increasing social and economical problems and the great number of young people, cause rising quality and quantity of social pathologies and pave the r way for people being affected by different social problems, especially for the young generation. One of the damaging problems that threaten human society is prostitution⁽¹⁾. Studies on its causes reveal that poverty, unemployment, war, variability, deception, love failing, sexual problems and familial elements, are the important factors that everyday add to prostitution of new involved people⁽²⁾. One factor which we can mention is a new generation of girls recognize that they have rights and are no longer prepared to put up with domestic abuse so by running away from home, these girls both register a protest and seek to change their situation⁽³⁾.
According to the United Nation's estimate, in each year about 40 million people are bought and sold in the world⁽⁴⁾. It has been said that prostitution and trafficking of women (smuggling) to some countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, Philippine and Malaysia from other places is a great source of economic income and parts of national gross production^(5,6). To analyze prostitution and the tendency of this group of people to commit crimes that are against norms and society, we should consider the complexity and extended dimension of this subject^(7,8,9). Some effective factors that cause delinquency are individual motivations⁽¹⁰⁾, psychological⁽¹¹⁾, familial⁽¹²⁾, environmental and biological factors^(13,14). Regarding prevalence of social pathologies and the tendency of girls and women to social deviations indicate the necessity of social and rehabilitation services^(15,16,17). To provide such services, a rehabilitation program in most of Iranian institutions and centers of social welfare is being implemented^(18,19).
As statistical surveys show, about 60% of clients who pass their rehabilitation programs during rehabilitation periods, due to committing crime and disability in the management of their own lives returne to these centers. The main goal of this research is to study the effective factors of returning women and girls with social problems, to rehabilitation centers^(20,21,22).
Research Hypothesis:
1. There is a significant relationship between clients returning and their demographic status.
2. There is a significant relationship between clients returning and their family situation.
3. There is a significant relationship between clients returning and their types of deviation.
4. There is a significant relationship between clients returning and their first run-away age.
5. There is a significant relationship between clients returning and their cause for running away.

RESEARCH METHODS

The statistical scope consists of all damaged women and girls who have returned to Omidvar and Horriat quarantine and reception staff centers in Tehran and Mashhad.
The research sample is composed of 300 clients with 150 of them having been rehabilitated only once while the others have returned again to rehabilitation centers several times. The entire sample has been selected by a simple randomized method from Omidvar and Horriat quarantine and reception staff centers. The tools in this research are MMPI test, Raven test, a questionnaire, by which the run-aways familial and social factors were assessed. This questionnaire contains 27 valid and reliable questions. In data analysis, descriptive and inferential statistic methods have been used. In inferential statistics, T test and X2 tests have been used.

Data Analysis:
To study the effective factors of returning women and girls with social problems to rehabilitation centers, demographic status, family situation, kinds of social deviations, the first run-away age and run-away cause were considered.
In studying demographic status, client's age is an effective factor; juvenile people are more likely to have returns. 36% of rehabilitation centers' clients were in the 18 to 20 year age groups.
Generally, 56% of returned clients of rehabilitation centers are in the juvenile age group and 33% of them have returned to these centers. 36% of clients who had primary literacy or were illiterate showed the highest level of returning. 72% of clients were single, 20% were divorced women and only 7% were married. The single clients have returned more. Most causes due to divorce were due to their husband's addiction. These women had higher levels of returning. 19% of clients to these centers were from western areas of the country, 42% were from Tehran province, 9% were from Northern provinces, 9% were from central provinces and 22% were from eastern provinces of the country.
As the above data shows, most of the clients belong to Khorasan and Tehran provinces. In a statistical survey, 35% of first time clients and 50% of returning clients were living in families with more than 6 members. 60% of clients' fathers and 80% of their mothers had primary literacy or were illiterate. Clients whose fathers had low education had higher rates of returning. A survey on the fathers' occupational status revealed that 17% of them were unemployed, 29% were workers, 18% were employees, 15% had free occupations and 14% were drivers. 52% of clients with unemployed fathers had returned again. 45% of clients had low or very low economical situations and 80% of these clients had returned again. 30% of clients were faced with parents' separation; parents of 33% of clients were dead and 18% of the sampling group had addicted parents. Returning again clients who were faced with parents' separation, parents' death and addiction, returned more than the others. Parents of 10% of clients were prisoners before and in these clients again returning is higher than the others. 26% of subjects had addiction history of which 24% have returned again. Primarily, they were addicted to heroin, narcotics and opium, in turn.
Of 34% of clients who had an imprisonment history 27% of them had returned again. Imprisonment history was an effective factor in tendency of social deviations. 56% of clients were involved in sexual deviations of which 36% had returned again. 80% of the considered sample had attempted suicide and 6% of them had returned again. In studying causes of clients' running away, factors such as maladjustment with parents, insecurity in family, economically inappropriate conditions, disintegration of family, tendency to deviations, disorganized marriage, seduction, addiction and mental problems were effective. The most effective factors were: 19/5% maladjustment with parents, 16% seduction, 15% economically inappropriate conditions, 12/5% disintegration of family. In clients' returning, the most important factors were: insecurity in their family, economically inappropriate conditions and disintegrated family, of 25% of clients who had been harmed by their parents 21% of them had returned again. 36% of harmed clients had been sexually abused, 33% of them had physical punishments, 6% of them were forced to beg, 13% of them forced to buy and sell narcotic drugs, and 17% of them had been abandoned.
The first 'run-away age' is one of the remarkable factors in this research. The first run-away age in clients were: 6% in 12 to 14 years old age group, 21% in 14 to 16 years old age group, 26% in 16 to 18 years old age group, 16% in 18 to 20 years old age group, 13% in 20 to 22 years old age group, 12% in 22 to 24 years old age group.
The highest run-away age had occurred in 16 to 18 years old age group in juvenile ages and again juvenile returning was related to individuals who had the first run-away age in the 14 to 18 age group and the 16 to 18 years old age group.
In the survey on the effective psychological factors, considered designed variables in MMPI test and Raven test. Clients' intelligence quotient (IQ) in the Raven test, were as follows: Clients' IQ with one and several returning were 94 and 78. These IQs revealed that clients with one returning were of normal intelligence. But with several returns were borderline in mental scale. In MMPI test returned clients in DD, DT, S and HS scales have gained a 70 score. Their score has a a meaningful difference from one clients' returning. Frequency distribution and Percentage of A and B groups based on run-away causes, ages, family causes, kind of harm and Raven test are shown in Tables 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.

A: Clients with several returning B: First time referring clients

A: Clients with several returning B: First time referring clients

A: Clients with several returning B: First time referring clients

A: Clients with several returning B: First time referring clients

A: Clients with several returning B: First time referring clients

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

The results revealed that clients in juvenile age have further vulnerability and to improve their functioning, rehabilitation programs should have more equipment, facilities and specialists. 37% of clients had low literacy (if any) and 63% were in secondary school or high school. So, planning for these two groups is different because literate or illiterate clients have lower comprehension, intelligence and abstract thinking and for education and occupation learning requires proper programs.
The other effective factor of clients returning to rehabilitation centers is singleness. Also, divorced clients had more returnings^(23,24). Most divorced clients separated from their husbands because of addiction, lack of house and work^(25,26).
More clients were from Khorasan and Tehran provinces and the most returning clients' were from the western area. The effective factors of clients' returning in Tehran were: urban absorption, lower family affiliation, contrast between freedom and promiscuity, immigration and boundary. In the eastern area influencing factors are various cultural transmission. The influencing factors of clients' returning in the western area are nation and tribe fanaticism and physical insecurity in family atmosphere. High family members are another effective item of clients returning to rehabilitation centers. This problem influences the economical situation of the family and attention of family members. Regarding to statistics about academic condition of clients' parents concluded that most of them have literate or illiterate parents. This issue led to cultural poverty. So, these families required cultural and educational programs.
Data on fathers' occupation revealed that most damaged clients have unemployed or falsely occupied fathers. Therefore, this had a significant effect on clients returning. Often, unemployed fathers were addicted and lead their children to beg, steal, distribute drugs and illicit relationsto earn money. The economical poverty is another factor that influences vulnerability. The subjects living in low level educational conditions had a high rate of returning. So, regarding the economical condition of the family, in most cases, client's returning to families is not advisable at all.
Familial distinction and parents separation is the most effective element in clients' returning. Clients who had grown up in confused and distressed families had high levels of damage. Parents' death also causes clients' damage and adolescence, faced with parents' death, had further rates of returning. Parents' death leads to economical poverty, affective vacuum, and disintegration of family, remarriage of fathers or mothers, without guidance and relative's interference. Addicted parents are another effective factor in adolescent tendency to social pathologies and deviations. Addiction of family guidance is a dynamic problem that affects another family life dimension. Parent's addiction leads to poverty, and delinquent individuals, insecurity in family, moral changes of addicted person, society negative attitudes to individual sand their family and adolescent tendency to delinquent friends and offenders and deviated people that parents have relations with. Clients' addiction is a factor in further tendency to social pathologies and deviations^(27,28,29). In order to provide essential expenses to buy drugs, they commit crimes, use septic syringes and relate with persons which raises risk of AIDS. Clients with an imprisonment history are faced with a higher risk of damage and most of them returned to rehabilitation centers. Prison environments caused more social pathologies and deviations.
Returning of clients with sexual deviations was more than others. It can show that the higher the damage, the more clients returning.
To be harmed by parents is another element that worsens clients' damaged condition^(30,31). These harms are physical punishment, with clients forced to buy and sell narcotic drugs, ignorance and sexual abuse.
Psychological factors also cause clients with broader boarder intelligence levels to return and in MMPI test variables they gained high scores. This information shows that psychotherapy programs, individual counseling and medication are affective and required. Rehabilitation of these clients needs a relaxing atmosphere that unfortunately is mostly ignored.
Recommendation:
1. Providing rehabilitation designs based on research results.
2. Classifying clients and separating them by age.
3. Avoiding clients' returning to families with moral problems and deviations.
4. Providing protective and economical services for clients who are living with their families.
5. Separating clients based on various levels of their pathological condition.
6. Separating of clients with psychological disorders from others.
7. Establishing specialized rehabilitation centers in western areas of the country.
8. Special counseling with clients' families to reduce their problems.

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