An examination of the determinants of social withdrawal and affinity for social withdrawal

Watanabe, Asami; Matsui, Yutaka; Takatsuka, Yusuke

doi:10.4992/jjpsy.81.478

Cited by 9 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Participants were asked if each item applies to themselves and rated each item on a 4-point rating scale with the anchors ranging from 1 (no) to 4 (yes). We followed the instruction in the original Affinity of Hikikomori Scale (Watanabe et al, 2010) and did not clarify the period that participants were inquired about in the scale. Cronbach's alpha of the desire for hikikomori subscale and empathy for others with hikikomori subscale were .82 and .78 at Time 1, and .84 and .87 at Time 2, respectively.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It has been recently suggested that there are Japanese people that did not show prolonged social withdrawal but wanted to be withdrawn and had an empathetic attitude toward individuals with hikikomori. Watanabe et al (2010) named these desires and attitudes, the affinity for hikikomori, which were assessed by using a scale that was composed of four items including, "I didn't want to go out when an aversive event occurred" and "I can understand why some people stay in their home or rooms and cannot go out." The affinity for hikikomori in non-clinical university students was related to frequent absence from university classes and past experiences of school non-attendance from elementary, junior high, or high school (Shimono & Hasegawa, 2018;Shimono et al, 2020).…”

Section: ; English Translation Bymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Longitudinal association between autistic traits and affinity for hikikomori in Japanese university students

et al. 2021

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The affinity for hikikomori represents the desire to be withdrawn, as well as to entertain an empathetic attitude towards withdrawn individuals. It is composed of two subdimensions, the maladaptive desire for hikikomori, and empathy for others with hikikomori. This longitudinal study examined whether autistic traits predicted the affinity for hikikomori. At the baseline assessment, undergraduate and graduate students in Japan (N = 272) completed the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ), the Affinity for Hikikomori Scale in University Students, and measures assessing academic failures and interpersonal conflicts. They also completed all measures excluding the AQ eight weeks later. Structural equation modeling indicated that difficulties in social interaction aspects of autistic traits were positively associated with academic failures at Time 2 even after controlling for academic failures at Time 1. In addition, difficulties in social interaction were positively related to the desire for hikikomori at Time 2 indirectly via academic failures at Time 2 after controlling for the desire for hikikomori at Time 1. Difficulties in social interaction were also directly associated with the increased desire for hikikomori at Time 2. These findings suggest that autistic traits, and especially difficulties in social interaction, are predictors of the maladaptive aspect of the affinity for hikikomori.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: ; English Translation Bymentioning

confidence: 99%

Longitudinal association between autistic traits and affinity for hikikomori in Japanese university students

et al. 2021

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“…We developed the NEET/Hikikomori Risk (NHR) scale to measure the potential risk of becoming NH among young people. Previous studies have only examined NEET and Hikikomori as distinct categories with very few exceptions (Watanabe et al, 2010 ). With our scale, we identify psychological risk factors for NH for young people who are currently in some form of employment (including university students).…”

Section: Study 1: Developing the Nh Risk Scalementioning

confidence: 99%

The NEET and Hikikomori spectrum: Assessing the risks and consequences of becoming culturally marginalized

2015

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An increasing number of young people are becoming socially and economically marginalized in Japan under economic stagnation and pressures to be more globally competitive in a post-industrial economy. The phenomena of NEET/Hikikomori (occupational/social withdrawal) have attracted global attention in recent years. Though the behavioral symptoms of NEET and Hikikomori can be differentiated, some commonalities in psychological features can be found. Specifically, we believe that both NEET and Hikikomori show psychological tendencies that deviate from those governed by mainstream cultural attitudes, values, and behaviors, with the difference between NEET and Hikikomori being largely a matter of degree. In this study, we developed a NEET-Hikikomori Risk Factors (NHR) scale that treats NEET/Hikikomori not as a set of distinct diagnoses, but as a spectrum of psychological tendencies associated with the risk of being marginalized in society. Based on this idea, we identified three related risk factors in our NHR spectrum scale: (1) Freeter lifestyle preference, which in Japan refers to the tendency to consciously choose to not work despite job availabilities, (2) a lack of self-competence, and (3) having unclear ambitions for the future (Study 1). Study 2 investigated and confirmed the validity of the scale by examining NHR differences between occupational groups. The results suggested that NHR is related to psychological tendencies common in the marginalized segments of society. The relationship between these psychological tendencies and actually becoming marginalized across cultures is discussed.

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“…The Cabinet Office of the Government of Japan (2010) developed the hikikomori symptoms scale consisting of four items (“I sometimes have in my mind an idea that I want to keep at home or in my room.”; “When bad things happen, I do not feel like I want to go outside.”; “I understand the feeling of people who keep in their room and do not go outside.”; and “I believe that keeping at home or in one’s room can be justified if there is a reason for it.”) 1 . An exploratory factor analysis conducted in a previous study revealed that these items load only on one construct (Watanabe et al, 2010). Maki, Kaita, and Yuzawa (2010) modified the scale from a 4-point Likert-type scale (1 = no ; 2 = maybe no ; 3 = maybe yes ; 4 = yes ) to a 6-point scale (1 = absolutely not true ; 6 = absolutely true ) to capture the diversity of the symptoms.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…For example, in Hattori’s (2006) study, 100% of hikikomori patients stated that they were unable to show their identity to their parents for fear of rejection. Regarding nonclinical samples, young people with hikikomori symptoms were less likely to feel that their family is warm, to talk to their family members, and to feel that their family members love them and that their family is close to each other compared to those without hikikomori and hikikomori symptoms (Cabinet Office of the Japanese Government, 2010; Watanabe et al, 2010).…”

Section: Psychological Dysfunction In the Japanese Cultural Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Secure base script and psychological dysfunction in Japanese young adults in the 21st century: Using the Attachment Script Assessment.

Umemura

Watanabe

Tazuke

et al. 2018

Developmental Psychology

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The universality of secure base construct, which suggests that one's use of an attachment figure as a secure base from which to explore the environment is an evolutionary outcome, is one of the core ideas of attachment theory. However, this universality idea has been critiqued because exploration is not as valued in Japanese culture as it is in Western cultures. Waters and Waters (2006) hypothesized that one's experiences of secure base behaviors are stored as a script in memory, and developed a narrative assessment called the Attachment Script Assessment (ASA) to evaluate one's secure base script. This study examined the validity of the ASA and the utility of secure base concept in Japanese culture. A sample of Japanese young adults (N = 89; M = 23.46; SD = 3.20; 57% = females) completed both the ASA and self-report questionnaires. The results revealed that the ASA score was associated with two dimensions of self-report questionnaires assessing parent-youth attachment relationships (trust and communication). The ASA score was not related to Japanese cultural values (amae acceptance, interdependent self-construal, and low independent self-construal). However, a low ASA score was related to a psychological dysfunction in the Japanese cultural context; hikikomori symptoms, which are defined as a desire to remain in his or her own room and his or her understanding of this behavior in other people. We concluded that since hikikomori can be interpreted as an extreme inhibition of exploration, the association between low secure base script and hikikomori symptoms suggests the utility of secure base construct in Japan. (PsycINFO Database Record

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An examination of the determinants of social withdrawal and affinity for social withdrawal

Cited by 9 publications

References 2 publications

Longitudinal association between autistic traits and affinity for hikikomori in Japanese university students

Longitudinal association between autistic traits and affinity for hikikomori in Japanese university students

The NEET and Hikikomori spectrum: Assessing the risks and consequences of becoming culturally marginalized

Secure base script and psychological dysfunction in Japanese young adults in the 21st century: Using the Attachment Script Assessment.

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