Home Education and Psychosocial Well-Being in Children and Adolescents: A Scoping Review

Background: Home education encompasses heterogeneous educational arrangements, and its relationship with psychosocial well-being remains unclear. Objective: This study maps empirical evidence on emotional, behavioral, mental health, social, interpersonal, and family-related outcomes and experiences among home education children and adolescents. Methods: This scoping review followed Joanna Briggs Institute guidance and PRISMA-ScR. Eight databases were searched from inception to 9 September 2026 without language or publication-date restrictions. Peer-reviewed original empirical publications involving home education children and adolescents aged 5–18 years were eligible. Mixed-age studies were retained when this age group constituted the primary home education population or when relevant age-disaggregated findings were available; inseparable findings were classified as mixed-age evidence. Two reviewers independently screened records and charted data. Findings were synthesized descriptively and narratively. Results: Of 4427 records, 23 publications were included and mapped across four psychosocial domains. Comparative findings were heterogeneous, with favorable, null, mixed, and less favorable patterns across outcomes and populations. Qualitative studies described perceived benefits and challenges related to family relationships, individualized support, previous school experiences, and social opportunities. Several publications used overlapping or potentially overlapping samples. Conclusions: Comparative evidence did not show a consistent association between home education and either better or poorer psychosocial well-being. The available literature was heterogeneous in design, population, educational context, measurement approach, and informant, supporting a context-sensitive interpretation rather than universal conclusions of benefit, equivalence, or harm.