Clinically, NEET status is best understood not as laziness or lack of ambition, says Dr Tesini. — 123rf
PARENTING style is an important contributing factor in shaping a young person’s pathway into becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training), says consultant psychiatrist Dr Tesini M. Paramannantha Veloo.
Harsh, punitive or overly critical parenting, she explains, fosters “internalising” patterns that predispose children to anxiety, perfectionism, avoidance and extreme sensitivity to failure.
“Many early or temporary NEETs fit this pattern – young people who disconnect not because they are defiant but because they feel overwhelmed, ashamed, or ‘never good enough’.
“These individuals often internalise societal expectations around success, and when they fail to meet them, they retreat to avoid further humiliation.”
In contrast, she says, inconsistent or chaotic parenting is linked to “externalising” trajectories that give rise to impulsivity, entitlement, oppositionality and difficulty managing frustration.
“Persistent or long-term NEETs more commonly emerge from this pathway. These individuals may experience repeated school suspensions, early behavioural issues or conflicts with authority figures, setting a pattern of chronic disengagement that extends into adulthood.”
Furthermore, while school dropout rates have gone down, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek told Parliament in August that over 27,000 primary and secondary students dropped out of public schools.
Socioeconomic strain compounds these developmental vulnerabilities: “Growing up in financially unstable households, single-parent families or overcrowded settings limits access to early intervention, tutoring and supportive school environments. Many of these children learn early that life demands survival rather than growth.
“When they enter adolescence, formal systems can feel rigid or punitive compared with the adaptive strategies they developed at home,” says Dr Tesini.
She also notes the distinction between “temporary NEETs”, who disengage after acute crises such as exam failure, depressive episodes or transition stress, and “persistent NEETs”, whose difficulties stretch back to early childhood.
“Temporary NEETs typically come from more stable families and have internalising difficulties that improve with support.
“Persistent NEETs, however, show cumulative disadvantage – neurodevelopmental issues, family conflict, learning struggles, parental mental illness, socioeconomic strain – resulting in entrenched avoidance, loss of confidence and long-term detachment from structured environments.”
Dr Tesini says the recurring theme is cumulative adversity and unmet developmental needs.
“These young individuals grow up feeling unsafe, unseen or unsupported. They often internalise a belief that schools, institutions or workplaces are places where they will be misunderstood, criticised or punished.”
By adulthood, disengagement is no longer rebellion, she stresses, but self-protection.
“Avoidance feels safer than risking failure; isolation feels more predictable than navigating complex social demands; withdrawal becomes a coping strategy, not a choice.
“Clinically, NEET status is best understood not as laziness or lack of ambition, but as the end point of long-standing developmental, psychological and environmental challenges.
“The earlier these patterns are recognised, the more possible it becomes to intervene before disengagement solidifies into a lifelong identity.”
