Adult Missing Persons: A Concept
Analysis
Claire Taylor, Dr Penny Woolnough & Professor Geoff Dickens
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The Missing Issue
• 2 points…
1. 300,000 missing persons reports in the UK each year (UKMPB,
2017)
2. Estimated cost of £2500 per each investigation for medium risk
cases (Shalev Greene & Pakes, 2013)
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Background
Use of the term "missing person" occurs across a range of professional
contexts:
law enforcement, police investigation, forensics, mental health care, social work
Most attention to date has focused on missing children leaving our
understanding of the attributes, characteristics, and experiences that are
associated with missing adults somewhat underdeveloped.
Despite this, most definitions of “missing” are all encompassing however it
seems unlikely that the same set of circumstances will contribute to explain
both adult and children missing persons.
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Aim
• We aimed to contribute some conceptual clarity to the field
by conducting a concept analysis of the term ‘missing
person’ with particular reference to the literature on adults.
• The aim here is not to discourage the use of the term but
instead it is envisaged that if we can better understand the
phenomenon it will serve as a much needed starting point
for future theoretical development and empirical research.
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Method
• We conducted a concept analysis
• Literature review that is commonly used within the social sciences
• The aim of this type of review is to familiarise a person with the constituent
components of a specific term
• Many different types of concept analysis however the current study used
Rodger’s (2000) evolutionary model, which aims to identify:
Contextual Domains
Surrogates
Antecedents
Consequences
Attributes
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Data Sources
• Multiple electronic databases (PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, Web of Science, Science
Direct, MEDLINE, CINAHL and the Psychology & Behavioural Sciences Collection)
were searched from inception to April 2016.
• Additional manual searchers were also made
• Search terms used were “missing" in combination with "person", "people", or
variants; or “runaway”; or “abscond” (combined with “mental health”); and
“adult”.
• Studies were screened for relevance and if necessary, excluded based on the
following criteria:
Non-English
Not concerned with missing people
Those only focused on missing children
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Results
• The search strategy yielded 903 results. Removal of duplicates, nonEnglish language papers, and application of inclusion/exclusion criteria
left 65 papers for analysis.
• Many different definitions (7 missing, 4 absconding) were identified
from literature however the most used appears to be that proposed by
ACPO:
 “Anyone whose whereabouts cannot be established and where the
circumstances are out of character or the context suggests the
person may be subject of crime or at risk of harm to themselves or
another” (ACPO 2005: 8).
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Results – Surrogate Terms
• Surrogates are terms that are used interchangeably with the concept,
which in this case is ‘missing persons’
• 15 surrogates were found including runaway, absent and disappeared
• A further 6 terms were also observed but were specific to mental health
service users and included absconding/absconder, AWOL and escape
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Results - Antecedents
• Antecedents are the actions which have preceded the concept, so for example,
in this case we were interested in the events which came before the missing
episode.
• Over 30 different antecedents were identified:
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Antecedents
• Many additional antecedents were found within the absconding
literature that were unique to the situation:
Bad news
Environment
‘Privilege Level’
Change
Breakdown in
Treatment
Worry
Bored/Frustrated
• Not always ‘push’ factors, must remember ‘pull’ factors as well
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Results - Attributes
• Attributes are considered as the component characteristics of the
concept. So in this situation, what must be present before a person
can be considered as missing?
• The most common attributes from the literature are that the
person must be absent, or of unknown whereabouts.
• Often this will interfere with the persons social responsibilities and
the behaviour will appear unexpected/distressing to those left
behind
• Perception of risk, or actual potential harm
• Being reported as missing to the authorities
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Results - Attributes
• In relation to absconding from mental health units, attributes commonly
include absence from hospital
• Particularly when it is unauthorised
• Restrictions are at times placed on absconding, for example, those who are
placed under an involuntary mental health act, those who leave from outside
the hospital parameters as opposed to those who leave directly from the
ward
• Distinction between absent and AWOL can be dependent on time
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Results - Consequences
• Consequences are the events which follow the concept, so again, in this case we
were interested in what was mentioned in the literature with regards to what
happened as a result of being a ‘missing person’.
• Consequences identified from the literature were split into two categories:
Consequences for the missing person
Increased rick of self-harm, suicide, homelessness, prostitution and drug use
Personal endangerment
Going missing again
Consequences for others
Emotional trauma for family and friends
Significant drain on public resources
Reputational damage for police and mental health services
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Results - Consequences
• Again, some unique consequences of absconding behaviour were
highlighted within the mental health literature
• Likely to have longer hospital stays often due to treatment
noncompliance causing increased risk
• BUT…
• The consequences of this behaviour are not always negative
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Theoretical Context
• 4 typologies have been proposed:
• Payne (1995) – 5 types of missing
• Biehal, Mitchell & Wade (2003) – Missing Continuum
• Henderson, Henderson & Kiernan (2000) – 3 categories of missing
• Bonny, Almond & Woolnough (2016) – 3 behavioural themes
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Theoretical Context
Payne (1995): Runaways, Throwaways, Pushaways, Fallaways &
Takeaways
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Theoretical Context
• Whilst all of these typologies are extremely useful in terms of their descriptive
value, they lack explanatory value.
• Many issues were noted with regards to the typologies, for example, all
contained transgressions of mutual exclusivity.
• Runaways and pushaways are very similar
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Theoretical Context
• Whilst no specific theories exist with regards to missing persons, the literature review did
reveal the possible relation between the theories of distance decay, rational choice
theory and missing behaviour.
• Distance decay – likelihood of committing a crime decreases with an increased distance
from base
• Rational choice - predicts a ‘buffer zone’ of crime-free activity in the immediate vicinity
of an offenders’ base resulting from his perception of increased risk of detection and
apprehension
• Both theories have been useful in research related to understanding and predicting the
body disposal sites of serial murderers
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Theoretical Context
• May also be useful in terms of missing persons research, for example,
Gibb & Woolnough (2007)
• 2200 cases - cross-tabulated average time taken to location, distance
travelled, and frequently occurring location sites, with demographic(males/females; adults /children) and psychopathological- (people with
psychosis, depression, dementia, and bipolar disorder) groups.
• At face value – the data appears consistent with distance decay theory
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Our Definition
• In light of the preceding analysis we propose that an adult missing
person is:
• An individual, 18 years of age or older, whose whereabouts are
unknown to members of their familial, social or professional
networks and where there is concern for either their own safety and
wellbeing or that of others. This may consequently result in the
initiation of a formal or informal search for them.
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Discussion
• The aim of this concept analysis was to clarify how the term 'missing
person' is used and understood in professional and academic discourse.
• A limited body of research was uncovered but the core attributes of
being a missing person were clear:
An actual, or perceived absence
A potential adverse risk outcome as perceived by those left behind
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Conclusion
• In summary, the literature so far has focused mainly on children and adolescents
but we are now seeing an increased interest in adults.
• This is the first large scale review of the concept of ‘missing person’ however the
lack of theoretical context provides underdeveloped and limited ways of
understanding the issue.
• Many definitions and constituent elements were uncovered throughout the
course of this research.
• Greater scholarly activity within the disciplines related to behavioural sciences
and mental health nursing is required to increase the potential for theoretical
development.
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Further Directions
• This Concept Analysis is part of a wider doctoral research project which consists of 3
stages:
Analysis of Police Scotland data
Interviews with adults who have been missing on more than one occasion
Interviews with care staff from the top 10 locations for missing adults in Scotland
• Whilst the aim of this specific research was to aid clarity and understanding of what or
who an adult missing person is, the wider focus of the research is centered around
behavioural consistencies in repeat missing adults
• This research, which is directly investigating repeat missing behaviour in adults for the
first time, will provide critical insights for multi-agency prevention and future
safeguarding strategies.
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Thank You!
For regular project updates, please have a look at our website
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Website – www.multiplemissing.weebly.com
Twitter – @MultipleMissing
Email – [email protected]
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