Preface

This book deals with an increasingly current phenomenon in various countries around the world. It offers an interdisciplinary point of view with a broad and, at the same time, in-depth vision of the various aspects that can contribute to better understand social isolation. Authors, who represent different disciplines and belong to different countries of the world, offer contributions of high scientific profile with new perspectives in the field of social security thanks to the originality of their ideas, theories, research, scientific results and discussions.

The first chapter presents an interesting contribution of how social isolation can be considered a health risk factor as it can contribute to the development of a mental health disease. This chapter brings together the contributions of clinical psychology, psychoeducational interventions and research on social neurosciences to explain and better understand what happens when social withdrawal develops. In particular, understanding which factors favor social withdrawal can help create new theoretical approaches and innovative clinical and psycho-educational interventions.

The second chapter offers a critical analysis of the social isolation experienced by young people who adopt an airtight lifestyle characterized by isolation from the rest of the world for an extended period of time. The authors refer to four parameters, namely time, place, social relations and social status to help professionals distinguish those who are in a state of social withdrawal. The authors carry out a review of the literature with empirical data on young people living in Hong Kong. The authors suggest that it is important to offer a favorable environment to challenge social isolation with the support of interdisciplinary research and practice.

The third chapter deals with social isolation for people over the age of 65 in a geographically isolated context such as the island of Maldives. This chapter highlights the importance of family and friends, rather than the community, in fostering social connections. It shows specific factors of smaller contexts such as islands rather than industrialized ones.

The fourth chapter presents innovative methods for dealing with domestic violence, particularly with male students. In particular, the chapter suggests recommendations for greater involvement of male university students in this type of social justice campaign.

The fifth chapter presents, from a sociological point of view, society and social isolation due to the digital dimension. The isolation created by digital connections is very impactful as ever. This aspect is very important to better understand the current social and cultural aspects.

The sixth chapter addresses another type of social deprivation that manifests itself in the deficit in the social domain of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To understand how social deprivation can affect behavior, the researchers present an innovative study on rodent isolation during early adolescence. Rodent isolation has shown harmful effects on social development and this is useful for understanding the mechanisms of neurological development that can be modified by social interactions.

This book offers an excellent expression of interdisciplinary perspectives that express innovative theoretical ideas, empirical evidence, discussions and suggestions. Therefore, this book represents an extraordinary opportunity to better understand the complex phenomena of social isolation.

*"I go out. You want to come? The insulation would be too heavy; desperate and crazy on the deserted streets. To demand a destiny."*

(Sylvia Plath)

**Rosalba Morese**

Faculty of Communication Sciences, Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano, Switzerland

Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano, Switzerland

#### **Sara Palermo**

**1**

Section 1

Social Withdrawal

Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy

**Fiorella Raffella** ASL (Azienda Sanitaria Locale) "Città di Torino", Turin, Italy
