Characteristics and motivations of absconders from forensic mental health services: a case-control study

BMC Psychiatry

Table 2 Characteristics of absconding events ( N = 102)

	Mdn	M	SD	Min	Max
Duration (hours)	10.50	50.67	126.60	0.33	912.00
		N		%
Method
Off locked unit		14		13.7
From staff accompanied outing		13		12.7
From unaccompanied hospital pass		44		43.1
From unaccompanied community pass		27		26.5
Location during leave
Within city limits, outdoors		42		41.2
Own home		9		8.8
Friends/family home		19		18.6
Shelter		12		11.8
Hospital grounds		6		5.8
Another hospital		3		2.9
Substance use (yes)		33		32.4
Reoffense (yes)		1		1.0
Violence – perpetrator		1		1.0
Violence – victim		2		2.0
Form of return
Self		58		56.9
Police		28		27.5
Hospital staff		6		5.8
Family member		7		6.9

Note. Two outliers were removed in calculating the Duration variable: one incident that lasted 117 days, and another for 122 days.

ISSN: 1471-244X