Chaos and confusion in Hikikomori research. Commentary on “The suitability of outing frequency as a definition of hikikomori (prolonged social withdrawal)”

Amendola, Simone

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1199359

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…There have been several attempts over time to define the hikikomori condition [10]. Specifically, avoidance, disinterest or unwillingness to attend school/work and to participate in social relationships/interactions, as well as the absence of other primary mental disorders have been considered core criteria of hikikomori [11][12][13].…”

Section: Hikikomorimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite the fact that a detailed discussion of the relationship between hikikomori and psychopathology is beyond the scope of this article, Fig 1 may be of help in clarifying how hikikomori may be a combination of social isolation (behavioural-objective symptom) and social withdrawal (psychological-subjective symptom) and motivating future research on hikikomori criteria [10]. Relevant efforts are needed to clarify similarities and distinctions between hikikomori and other forms of psychopathology [86].…”

Section: Implications For Hikikomori Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It should be noted that most studies (88.5%) examining hikikomori, in reality, did not consider significant impairment or distress [14] and, thus, the validity of their findings is questionable. The inclusion of specific psychological indicators of dysfunction and impairment/distress caused by social withdrawal and isolation is needed in future studies of hikikomori [10,14]. Third, our result on the prevalence of severe social isolation for the young age group of 15-29 years (0.36%, 95%CI: 0.2, 0.52) may represent an underestimation of the phenomenon in this age group since there may be youths who are formally in education but in practice do not attend classes and do not take part in social activities.…”

Section: Study Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, our prevalence of severe social isolation in adolescents and young adults is in line with a prevalence of 0.2% of students (academic year 2020-2021) who received a certificate of social withdrawal from local mental health departments in Italy according to a recent report [87] and higher than the approximate estimate of 0.025% based on Emilia-Romagna students (academic year 2017-2018) who rarely leave their home and do not attend school according to a previous report [88,89]. There is yet confusion on the definition of hikikomori because different definitions have been proposed [10]. Unfortunately, this may erroneously lead to consider as hikikomori those adolescents who attend school [87,90].…”

Section: Study Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Estimating the prevalence and characteristics of people in severe social isolation in 29 European countries: A secondary analysis of data from the European Social Survey round 9 (2018–2020)

Amendola,

Cerutti,

von Wyl

2023

PLoS ONE

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The main aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of people in severe social isolation as a proxy for high risk of hikikomori using data from 29 European countries. The relationship between the presence/absence of severe social isolation and demographic and psychosocial variables was also investigated. Publicly available data from the European Social Survey (ESS) round 9 collected between August 2018 and January 2020 were used. Data from the ESS round 1 (September 2002 –December 2003) and round 10 (September 2020 –May 2022) were also examined to investigate changes in the prevalence of severe social isolation over time. Analyses were restricted to the working-age population (15–64 years). A complex sampling design to obtain weighted prevalence and results was used. The study protocol was preregistered online on the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/6a7br/). The weighted prevalence of severe social isolation was 2.01% for the sample from the ESS 1, 1.77% for the sample from the ESS 9, and 1.71% for the sample from the ESS 10, indicating a decrease over time, mainly in males. Logistic regression models showed that different sociodemographic factors (e.g., being retired, being permanently sick or disabled, doing housework, living in Central and Eastern Europe, living uncomfortably on household income, having no income) were associated with severe social isolation. Further, feeling unsafe when walking alone in the neighbourhood after dark, low social trust, and support, decreased happiness and lack of future planning correlated with severe social isolation after adjustment for the effect of sociodemographic factors was made. In this study, the prevalence of severe social isolation as a proxy for hikikomori in European countries is in line with that found by previous representative studies conducted in Asian countries. The novelty of the findings as well as implications for hikikomori research are discussed according to recent scientific literature.

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Section: Hikikomorimentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Implications For Hikikomori Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Estimating the prevalence and characteristics of people in severe social isolation in 29 European countries: A secondary analysis of data from the European Social Survey round 9 (2018–2020)

Amendola,

Cerutti,

von Wyl

2023

PLoS ONE

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Clarifying the position of hikikomori in mental health: Is hikikomori a variant of already-known mental health disorders? A review of the literature

Amendola

2024

Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology

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Hikikomori was included in the chapter “Culture and Psychiatric Diagnosis” of the DSM-5-TR Section III as an example of cultural concepts of distress. However, attempts over time to better define hikikomori emphasized different specific characteristics/criteria. The present study aimed to provide an overview of different criteria and definitions of hikikomori, and to examine whether hikikomori resembles social anxiety/phobia (and avoidant personality), depression, and adjustment and stress disorders. This narrative review followed available recommendations on reporting standards. A structured literature search was conducted in PubMed, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, Web of Science, and Scopus on May 31, 2023. Hikikomori definitions and criteria diverge in their focus on specific criteria such as not working/attending school, avoidance/refusal of and disinterest/unwillingness to participate in social situations and relationships. Hikikomori resembles a (severe) variant of social anxiety disorder, a form of adjustment disorder, or a variant of depressive disorder, depending on the criteria in use. Empirical evidence on the clinical validity of some hikikomori definitions is scarce. If hikikomori criteria do not include indicators of dysfunction, the condition under study may reflect severe/extreme social isolation rather than a different diagnostic category. Updated hikikomori research criteria were proposed to foster future studies addressing diagnostic validity and clinical comorbidity. Alternatively, a “with (social) withdrawal” specifier in the definition of social anxiety, depressive, and adjustment and stress disorders should be considered. Finally, the inclusion of hikikomori in the DSM-5-TR was discussed.

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Examining the relationship between social withdrawal motivations and symptoms of hikikomori

Amendola,

Cerutti

2023

Journal of Child & Adolescent Mental Health

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Chaos and confusion in Hikikomori research. Commentary on “The suitability of outing frequency as a definition of hikikomori (prolonged social withdrawal)”

Cited by 3 publications

References 16 publications

Estimating the prevalence and characteristics of people in severe social isolation in 29 European countries: A secondary analysis of data from the European Social Survey round 9 (2018–2020)

Estimating the prevalence and characteristics of people in severe social isolation in 29 European countries: A secondary analysis of data from the European Social Survey round 9 (2018–2020)

Clarifying the position of hikikomori in mental health: Is hikikomori a variant of already-known mental health disorders? A review of the literature

Examining the relationship between social withdrawal motivations and symptoms of hikikomori

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