Contact Details - Multiple missingmultiplemissing.weebly.com/uploads/6/2/6/1/62614343/conference_… · Contact Details As we are still in the initial phase of our project where we

ContactDetails

AswearestillintheinitialphaseofourprojectwhereweareseekingethicalapprovalfrombothAbertayUniversityEthicsCommitteeandPoliceScotland,wewouldwelcomeanypossiblecommentsandfeedbackregardingtheideaspresentedinthisposter.IfyouwishtocontactuspleaseemailClaireTayloratC.Taylor2@abertay.ac.uk,DrPennyWoolnoughatP.Woolnough@abertay.ac.ukorProfessorGeoffDickensatG.Dickens@abertay.ac.uk.Alternatively,youcancontactusandfindoutmoreinformationviaourwebsiteorsocialmediaaccounts:Website–www.multiplemissing.weebly.comTwitter–www.twitter.com/MultipleMissingFacebook-www.facebook.com/Multiple-Missing-1503858689926332/ThankyouforyourinterestintheMultipleMissingproject,wehopeyouenjoyedtheconferenceandwelookforwardtohearinganycommentsorideasthatyoumayhaveregardingourresearch.

Mul$pleMissing:BehaviouralConsistencyinRepeatMissingAdults

C.Taylor1,P.S.Woolnough1&G.L.Dickens2

ResearchQues$ons&Objec$ves

1.  Clarify opera.onal and conceptual defini.ons of the term

‘missingpersons’throughconceptanalysis.

2.  Establishwhatisalreadyknownaboutthosewhorepeatedlygomissingthroughsystemicreviewofexis.ng interna.onal

literature.

3.  Establish whether adults who go missing repeatedly differ

fromthosewhoonlygomissingonce

4.  To what extent are adult repeat missing episodes

behaviourally and func.onally consistent across .me and

withtheirnormallives?

5. Whatrisksdorepeatmissingadultsface?

6. Whatcanwelearnaboutrepeatmissingadultsinrela.onto

mul.-agencypreven.onandsafeguardingstrategies?

Methodology

Stage 1 – Quan%ta%ve analysis of exis.ng data inrela.on to all adult repeatmissing persons reported to

Police Scotland. All iden.fied cases will be analysed to

establish the nature and incidence of repeat missing

adults including poten.al risk factors such as, age, sex,

mentalhealth,numberofmissingincidents,dura.onand

loca.onfound.

Stage2–Interviewswithrepeatmissing.Individualswillbe recruited with the support of Police Scotland,

following which, in-depth interviews and psychological

tes.ngwillbeconductedtoprovidecri.calinsightsinto

the nature of individuals missing episodes including

psychological, func.onal, behavioural and geographical

aspectstohelpiden.fypoten.alconsistencies.

Stage 3– Interviewswith care providerswithin the top10 loca.ons for repeat missing adults across Scotland

such as hospitals,will be conducted. The interviewswill

examine their views, responsibili.es, experiences and

aRtudestowardsrepeatmissingadults.

Prac$calImplica$ons

This is thefirstpsychologically-focused studyof its kind,and

willprovideanenhancedunderstandingofthekey issuesfor

strategic innova.on in the preven.on and protec.on of

repeatmissingadults.Resultswillbeofinterestandprac.cal

relevancetoprac..onersandpolicymakersandcontributeto

academic debates in inves.ga.ve and experimental

psychology, human geography and mental health. Various

outputs will be disseminated including briefing papers,

academic papers and website updates can be found on our

websitewww.mul%plemissing.weebly.com.

Background&Ra$onale

UK police receive approximately 350,000missing person reports

onayearlybasis,cos.ngupto£2500percase(ShalevGreene&

Pakes, 2013). It is believed that around 38% of all reported

incidents involve individuals who have previously gone missing

(Na.onal Crime Agency, 2012/13). Despite the financial and

human costs that are associated with each missing episode,

research into and theory development regarding repeatmissing

behaviourisextremelyunderdeveloped.

To date, research has focused on children and adolescents who

run away from care (Biehal&Wade, 2000) and a small body of

research on the related topic of absconding frommental health

inpa.ent seRngs has also been developed (O’Shea & Dickens,

2015). This has increased our knowledge of prevalence rates,

outcomesandstaff influencehoweverourunderstandingofwhy

adults repeatedly go missing and their vulnerabili.es and

experienceswhilstawayareintheirinfancy.

Missing episodes can be indicators of significant vulnerabili.es

and up to 80% of adult missing persons are thought to have

mental health issues (Gibb & Woolnough, 2007; Holmes,

Woolnough, Gibb, Lee & Crawford, 2013). Spa.al profiling

suggests that theremay be a degree of behavioural consistency

amongst missing persons with the samemental health disorder

(Gibb & Woolnough, 2007). Therefore exploring adults ‘missing

careers’ and consistencies across their repeat incidents will

provide cri.cal insights into the future safeguarding of this

vulnerablepopula.on.

References

•  Biehal, N., &Wade, J. (2000). Taking a Chance? The Risks Associatedwith Going

MissingfromSubs.tuteCare.ChildAbuseReview,8(6),366–376.•  Gibb, G.J., & Woolnough, P. (2007). Missing persons: Understanding, planning,

responding–aguideforpoliceofficers.Aberdeen:GrampianPolice.

•  Holmes, L., Woolnough, P., Gibb, G.J., Lee, R.L. & Crawford, M. (2013), ‘Missing

PersonsandMentalHealth’,paperpresentedtotheFirstInterna.onalConference

onMissingChildrenandAdults,UniversityofPortsmouth.

•  Na.onalCrimeAgency.MissingPersons:dataandanalysis2012/13.

•  O’Shea,L.E.,&Dickens,G.L.(2015).Predic.vevalidityofthestartforunauthorisedleaveandsubstanceabuseinasecurementalhealthseRng:Apseudo-prospec.ve

cohortstudy.InternaConalJournalofNursingStudies,52,970-979.•  Shalev Greene, K., & Pakes, F. (2013).The cost of missing person inves.ga.ons:

Implica.onsforcurrentdebates.Policing:AJournalofPolicyandPrac.ce,36(1).1-8.

1DivisionofPsychology,AbertayUniversity,UK.2DivisionofMentalHealthNursing

andCounselling,AbertayUniversity,UK.

ContactDetails

Asweares.ll in the ini.alphaseofourprojectwhereweare

seeking ethical approval from both Abertay University Ethics

Comminee and Police Scotland, we would welcome any

possiblecommentsandfeedbackregardingtheideaspresented

in this poster. If you wish to contact us please email Claire

[email protected].