This paper compares selected characteristics of absconders with those of non-absconders matched for age group, sex, type of ward and length of stay. The study was conducted over a twelve-month period in three English conventional mental hospitals. The case notes of both groups of patients and also various hospital documents were perused. Analysis of the data was done using SPSS. Overall, the absconders were found to differ significantly from the non-absconders on source of referral, legal status, job to go to, visits from relatives or friends and history of alcohol abuse. The significant findings are discussed in the light of previous studies.
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