Running away

First of all, I'm sorry I can't provide more detail, or specific dreams, and if no one can help, I understand. I'm trying to find this out on behalf of a friend, so I really don't know many details myself.
The question is, does anyone know what running dreams might mean? My freind has nightmares all the time about being persued, and trying to escape. Sometimes she's being chased by people she knows, sometimes by a complete stranger off the street, sometimes by wild animals like a cougar.
Nor is this have to do with some recent event. She has had these bad dreams ever since she was a child, and now she's 17. Any ideas about why she would keep having these, or what they mean?

These dreams are very common among people.
It's one of the most common dream themes.
It may be due to anxiety, Or fear of something or someone (While your awake and it carries over to effect your dreams)
It may also be some type of feeling of anger with your friend's self, They may be angry with their decisions or maybe the way they are living their life. It may just be herself she is running from disguised as something else.
He\She must confront whatever it is in the dream and simply force it out of the dream. I am not implying anything here, The causes listed are only the most common ones. I'm only assuming that may be the problem(s).

In any basic dream interpretation... event, all the way down to and including school projects, being chased is one of the number one signs. That said, I believe it's usually interpreted as one hiding something from other people, feeling that the other people are trying to/ are getting close to figuring it out.