ECER 2026 Poster – Supporting Materials and References

Holistic Insights into Young Adults’ Social Exclusion: A Systematic Literature Review

Aunimarjut Kari, University of Jyväskylä, Finland

Supervisors, University of Jyväskylä, Finland

Kati Vasalampi, assosiate professor

Anna Rönkä, professor

Tuomo Virtanen, senior lecturer

Research Questions

1. How do situationality, consiousness, and embodiment appear in recent research on youth social exclusion?
   
   
2. What coping strategies do young adults use?

Theoretical Framework

The study is grounded in Lauri Rauhala’s (2005, 2014) theory of the regulative situational circuit, which conceptualises human experience as an integration of situational, consciousness-based, and embodiment-based dimensions.

This holistic approach enables the examination of how meaning-making and life situations interact in shaping experiences of social exclusion.

Methodology

A systematic literature review was conducted including 26 peer-reviewed studies, published between 2019 and March 2025.

• Databases: international databases + Finna
• Initial results: 345 international + 35 Finnish articles
• Inclusion criteria: age 18–29, qualitative interviews on social exclusion
• Exclusion criteria: COVID-19-related studies

Analysis followed a theory-guided content analysis approach combining:

• deductive analysis (Rauhala’s framework)
• inductive thematic coding

Key Findings

Holistic nature of exclusion

Situationality, consciousness, and embodiment are deeply intertwined, and no single dimension dominates the experience of social exclusion.

Embodied and situational constraints

Chronic illness, disrupted routines, educational dropout, and unstable life circumstances are closely linked with feelings of exclusion and reduced agency.

Psychological burden and vulnerability

Internalised stigma, uncertainty, and lack of support are associated with high psychological distress. Suicidal ideation or suicide attempts were reported in 7 of the 26 studies reviewed (27%), reflecting global concerns (WHO, 2023).

Coping strategies and future orientation

Common coping strategies included ways young people manage uncertainty, adversity, and marginalisation while maintaining a sense of agency and psychological balance.

Open resistance
Rejecting expectations, activism, and sometimes risk behaviours linked to exclusion.

• e.g., joining gangs as a means of belonging and protection.

Positive change orientation
Self-care, positive reinterpretation, and peer support.

• e.g., peer support was especially important for LGBTQ+ youth.

Planning
Managing daily life and maintaining stability through future-orientated thinking.

• e.g., avoiding rush hour or authorities.

Negotiation
Balancing personal needs with others' expectations.

• e.g., limiting social relationships and engaging in self-dialogue in situations such as coming out of the closet.

Escapism
Withdrawal or imagination used as psychological protection.

• e.g., a protective mechanism in extreme situations such as suicidal thoughts.

Avoidance
Passivity and concealment that reduce stress when other coping strategies are unavailable.

• e.g., concealing sexual orientation or HIV status.

Future intentions included

• coping with daily life
• living in the moment
• engagement in education
• and intentional redirection of life course.

Despite difficulties, young adults’ also showed self-compassion and acceptance in their future orientations.

Discussion and Implications

The findings suggest that young adults’ experiences of social exclusion cannot be reduced to either structural conditions or individual choices alone.

A holistic framework reveals how situational, consciousness-related, and embodiment-based dimensions interact in shaping exclusion and coping.

Positive attitudes and perceived competence support future orientation and social participation. These findings align with previous research on belonging and engagement (e.g., Nguyen, 2023; Robinson & Idle, 2023).

References

Aaltonen, S., Kivijärvi, A., & Myllylä, M. (2019). Työn ja koulutuksen ulkopuolella olevien nuorten aikuisten koettu hyvinvointi [Perceived well-being of young adults outside employment and education]. Yhteiskuntapolitiikka, 84(3), 301–311. https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2018110147048

Backman, J. (2015). Situationaalinen säätöpiiri: Rauhalan filosofinen kädenjälki [The regulative situational circuit: Rauhala’s philosophical contribution]. In V. Tökkäri (Ed.), Kokemuksen tutkimus V: Lauri Rauhala 100 vuotta (pp. 73–102). Lapland University Press.

Brault, C., Thomas, I., Moro, M. R., & Benoit, L. (2022). School refusal in immigrants and ethnic minority groups: A qualitative study of adolescents’ and young adults’ experiences. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13. https://doi-org.i/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.803517  

Gregov, V. (2022). Nuorten syrjäytymisen ehkäisyn palvelujärjestelmän toimivuus ja palveluiden vaikuttavuus [The functioning and effectiveness of services for preventing youth marginalisation](Eduskunnan tarkastusvaliokunnan julkaisu 1/2022). Eduskunta.

Happonen, K., & Kiilakoski, T. (Eds.). (2025). Nuoruuden kolme vuosikymmentä. Nuorisobarometri 2024 [Three decades of youth: Youth Barometer 2024]. Valtion nuorisoneuvosto & Nuorisotutkimuseura.

Hareven, O., Kron, T., Roe, D., & Koren, D. (2024). First-hand reports of prolonged social withdrawal: Contributing factors, experiences, and change processes. Mental Health & Social Inclusion, 28(5), 637–647. https://doi.org/10.1108/MHSI-05-2023-0055  

Kaasinen ym. (2023). Finnish care leavers’ social inclusion during the transition to adulthood.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2023.107041

Kyösti, A., & Laasanen, M. (2025). Lasten ja nuorten yksinäisyys ja ostrakismi kuntapalveluiden yhdyspinnoilla – osallisuudesta apua kompleksiseen haasteeseen [Loneliness and ostracism among children and young people at the interfaces of municipal services – participation as a response to a complex challenge]. Hallinnon Tutkimus, 44(2). https://doi.org/10.37450/ht.143158

Littman, D. M. (2024). Practices and settings which promote a psychological sense of community among young people who experience social marginalization: A scoping review. Children and Youth Services Review, 161, 107620. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107620

Marzetti, H., McDaid, L., & O’Connor, R. (2022). “Am I really alive?”: Understanding the role of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia in young LGBT+ people’s suicidal distress. Social Science & Medicine, 298, 114860. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.114860

Nguyen, T. P. (2023). An overview of social withdrawal – Hikikomori in Japan and support in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. CTU Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development, 15(1), 98–105. https://doi.org/10.22144/ctu.jen.2023.013

Rauhala, L. (2005). Hermeneuttisen tieteenfilosofian analyyseja ja sovelluksia (2nd ed.). Yliopistopaino.

Rauhala, L. (2014). Ihmiskäsitys ihmistyössä (3rd ed.). Gaudeamus.

Robinson, S., & Idle, J. (2023). Loneliness and how to counter it: People with intellectual disability share their experiences and ideas. Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, 48(1), 58–70. https://doi.org/10.3109/13668250.2022.2112510

World Health Organization. (2023, April 14). Suicide. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/suicide

This text was translated from Finnish and refined with the assistance of ChatGPT (OpenAI).

Contact
Aunimarjut Kari
University of Jyväskylä, Finland
Email: aunimarjut.a.kari@student.jyu.fi