Section 1 Social Withdrawal

**3**

**Chapter 1**

**Abstract**

Approach

*and Francesca Sechi*

type of maladaptive condition.

social neuroscience, mental health

**1. Introduction**

Social Withdrawal and Mental

Social isolation may be considered as a risk factor for health. It may contribute to the development of a mental health disease. In this chapter, social withdrawal is defined as voluntary isolation prolonged in time that involves the cessation of any form of social relationship and contact with people and the outside. Clinical psychology, psycho-educational interventions, and social neuroscience research tries to understand what happens when social isolation is experienced. Therefore an interdisciplinary perspective can help to better understand this phenomenon. The deepening of these aspects can help to create new forms of theoretical perspective and of a clinical and psycho-educational intervention to better arrange for this new

**Keywords:** social withdrawal, adolescents, health, psycho-educative intervention,

Social relationships represent a very important dimension during adolescence [1]; for this reason social withdrawal is an actual phenomenon that needs to be examined in detail. As very little is known about it, the risk that may contribute to the formation of a mental health disease may be ignored. Additionally, it is critical to remember that social withdrawal may also occur as a complication of an existing mental health disorder. Social withdrawal is defined as the lack of social relations with one's family and friends. This situation may create very important damages in interpersonal relations and social relations at an individual level and that may affect the society in general. Barzeva et al. [2] in line with Rubin et al. [3] report that it is "an umbrella term referring to an individual's voluntary self-isolation from familiar and/or unfamiliar others through the consistent display of solitary behaviors such as

shyness, spending excessive time alone, and avoiding peer interaction."

The intensive use of the Internet or video games is also associated with social withdrawal. This may be indicative of a form of adaptation of social isolation, but it becomes a real addiction. The use of interactive media for games is very frequent among adolescents, and is increasingly on the rise [4, 5]. It is estimated that the number of teenagers using smartphones have rapidly increased in recent years, the percentage has gone from 73 to 95% in the last 4 years. In particular, the use is

Health: An Interdisciplinary

*Rosalba Morese, Sara Palermo, Carlotta Torello* 

#### **Chapter 1**
