The relevance of educational contexts in the emergence of Social Withdrawal (hikikomori). A review and directions for future research

Abstract

Over the last decade, the phenomenon of young people suffering from social withdrawal (hikikomori) has become a social emergency in many countries. The aim of this review is to analyse whether and how researchers have considered the relationship between the emergence and spread of hikikomori and the characteristics that educational contexts assume in neoliberal societies. The searches, which were conducted in the Web of Science, Scopus, Proquest and JStore databases, identified 73 articles published since 2000. The results confirm that in many cases authors have adopted a single-axis perspective as the key to interpreting the phenomenon, focusing on single factors (“psychiatrization” of the problem, diagnostic approach, proposals for recovery, etc.) or using traditional medical research tools. The review also identifies some studies that provide evidence in favour of how certain interventions in the school environment can contribute to re-socializing young hikikomori.