2013 Volume 27 Issue 2 Pages 137-151
The purpose of this research was to investigate the changing process of parental support for “socially withdrawn” children (“social withdrawal” is known as “hikikomori” in Japanese) to help those children reconnect to society. Semi-structured interviews were individually conducted with 12 parents of “socially withdrawn” children. Interview data were qualitatively analyzed using a modified grounded theory approach and represented graphically.
As a result of that analysis, a theoretical model of the changing process of parental support that helped children reconnect to society was created. A core category in this process was Putting One's Words into Action (making good on commitments). The process consisted of 29 concepts, 3 categories (≪①≫～≪③≫), and 12 subcategories. After a child ≪① Failed to reconnect at the child's original school≫, the child’s parents worked to rebuild the parent-child relationship that had been severed.
As time passed, the child gradually expressed what he or she would do (commitments). Parents sought to have the child make good on his or her commitments through ≪② An ongoing bi-directional approach involving social involvement and connection≫.
Through ≪③ Adjustment of the distance between parents and the child≫, the child was able to reconnect to society.
In instances where social withdrawal continued, children had not expressed commitments they wished to make good on. Analysis of interview data suggested the importance of providing responsive support for “socially withdrawn” children to express their commitments as a first step toward understanding them and seeking productive solutions to one of Japan's most pressing and serious social concerns.
