Hidden youth services: What Hong Kong can learn from Japan

Chan, Gloria Hongyee; Lo, Tsz Wing

doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2014.03.021

Cited by 33 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Hikikomori was originally described in Japan, but cases have subsequently been reported in Oman ( 15 ), Spain ( 13 , 16 , 17 ), Italy ( 18 ), South Korea ( 4 , 14 ), Hong Kong ( 19 ), India ( 20 ), France ( 8 , 21 ), and the United States ( 19 , 22 ). Aside from case reports, surveys of psychiatrists from countries as diverse as Australia, Bangladesh, Iran, Taiwan, and Thailand suggest hikikomori cases are seen in all the countries examined, especially in urban areas ( 23 ).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Internet Addiction, Hikikomori Syndrome, and the Prodromal Phase of Psychosis

et al. 2016

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Computers, video games, and technological devices are part of young people’s everyday lives. Hikikomori is a Japanese word describing a condition that mainly affects adolescents or young adults who live isolated from the world, cloistered within their parents’ homes, locked in their bedrooms for days, months, or even years on end, and refusing to communicate even with their family. These patients use the Internet profusely, and only venture out to deal with their most imperative bodily needs. Although first described in Japan, cases have been described from around the world. This is the first published report from Canada. The disorder shares characteristics with prodromal psychosis, negative symptoms of schizophrenia, or Internet addiction, which are common differential or comorbid diagnoses. However, certain cases are not accompanied by a mental disorder. Psychotherapy is the treatment of choice although many cases are reluctant to present. The exact place of hikikomori in psychiatric nosology has yet to be determined. We searched Medline up to 12th May, 2015 supplemented by a hand search of the bibliographies of all retrieved articles. We used the following search terms: Hikikomori OR (prolonged AND social AND withdrawal). We found 97 potential papers. Of these 42 were in Japanese, and 1 in Korean. However, many of these were cited by subsequent English language papers that were included in the review. Following scrutiny of the titles and abstracts, 29 were judged to be relevant. Further research is needed to distinguish between primary and secondary hikikomori and establish whether this is a new diagnostic entity, or particular cultural or societal manifestations of established diagnoses.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Internet Addiction, Hikikomori Syndrome, and the Prodromal Phase of Psychosis

et al. 2016

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“…Although there are diverse interventions for socially withdrawn youths (Chan and Lo, 2014c;Ovejero et al, 2013;Teo et al, 2014), to our knowledge, there is only one study that investigated the preferences of socially withdrawn youths regarding interventions (Teo et al, 2014) and one evaluation study to examine a complex intervention for socially withdrawn youth (Lee et al, 2013). Since there are different types of socially withdrawn youths who need different types of interventions, we suspect that a particular intervention may not fit all socially withdrawn youths.…”

Section: Practical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since the Japanese government's guidelines did not specify the social relationships of socially withdrawn youths, among the five articles, three considered that Borovoy (2008) Expert opinion Furlong (2008) Expert opinion Wilson (2010) Expert opinion Teo and Gaw (2010) Review Teo (2010) Clinical review Toivonen et al (2011) Expert opinion Rosenthal and Zimmerman (2012) Expert opinion Suwa and Suzuki (2013) Expert opinion Heinze and Thomas (2014) Expert opinion Chan and Lo (2014c) Review Baek (2014) Expert opinion SAD: social anxiety disorder. The table summarizes the included articles by study type (qualitative study, quantitative study and others) and years of study (2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014).…”

Section: Operational Definitionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Youth social withdrawal behavior (hikikomori): A systematic review of qualitative and quantitative studies

Wong

2015

Aust N Z J Psychiatry

145

175

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Objective: Acute and/or severe social withdrawal behavior among youth was seen as a culture-bound psychiatric syndrome in Japan, but more youth social withdrawal cases in different countries have been discovered recently. However, due to the lack of a formal definition and diagnostic tool for youth social withdrawal, cross-cultural observational and intervention studies are limited. We aimed to consolidate existing knowledge in order to understand youth social withdrawal from diverse perspectives and suggest different interventions for different trajectories of youth social withdrawal. Method:This review examined the current available scientific information on youth social withdrawal in the academic databases: ProQuest, ScienceDirect, Web of Science and PubMed. We included quantitative and qualitative studies of socially withdrawn youths published in English and academic peer-reviewed journals. Results:We synthesized the information into the following categories: (1) definitions of youth social withdrawal, (2) developmental theories, (3) factors associated with youth social withdrawal and (4) interventions for socially withdrawn youths. Accordingly, there are diverse and controversial definitions for youth social withdrawal. Studies of youth social withdrawal are based on models that lead to quite different conclusions. Researchers with an attachment perspective view youth social withdrawal as a negative phenomenon, whereas those who adopt Erikson's developmental theory view it more positively as a process of seeking self-knowledge. Different interventions for socially withdrawn youths have been developed, mainly in Japan, but evidence-based practice is almost non-existent. Conclusion:We propose a theoretical framework that views youth social withdrawal as resulting from the interplay between psychological, social and behavioral factors. Future validation of the framework will help drive forward advances in theory and interventions for youth social withdrawal as an emerging issue in developed countries.

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“…Family factors that have been identified with the appearance of social isolation include: insecure attachment (10), death of a family member (11), nuclear family without extended family support (12)(13)(14), fragmented family (15), dysfunctional family and parenting dynamics (8,(16)(17)(18), as well as emotional neglect and child abuse (19). A higher risk has been observed in families with a high economic level, as well as those with a high parental educational level (6).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Family Features of Social Withdrawal Syndrome (Hikikomori)

et al. 2020

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Background: Family may play an important role in the origin, maintenance, and treatment of people with social withdrawal. The aim of this study is to analyze family factors related to social withdrawal syndrome. Methods: Socio-demographic, clinical, and family data, including family psychiatric history, dysfunctional family dynamics, and history of family abuse were analyzed in 190 cases of social withdrawal with a minimum duration of 6 months that started an at-home treatment program. Data were analyzed at baseline and at 12 months. Results: In 36 cases (18%) neither the patient nor the family allowed at home evaluation and treatment by the Crisis Resolution Home Treatment (CRHT) team. Patients had high rates of dysfunctional family dynamics (n = 115, 61.5%), and family psychiatric history (n = 113, 59.3%), especially maternal affective (n = 22, 42.9%), and anxiety disorders (n = 11 20.4%). There was a non-negligible percentage of family maltreatment in childhood (n = 35, 20.7%) and single-parent families (n = 66, 37.8%). Most of the cases lived with their families (n = 135, 86%), had higher family collaboration in the therapeutic plan (n = 97, 51.9%) and families were the ones to detect patient isolation and call for help (n = 140, 73.7%). Higher social withdrawal severity (as defined by at least one of: early age of onset, no family collaboration, lack of insight, higher CGSI score, and higher Zarit score), was associated with family psychiatric history, dysfunctional family dynamics, and family abuse history. All of these predictive variables were highly correlated one to each other. Conclusions: There is a high frequency of family psychiatric history, dysfunctional family dynamics, and traumatic events in childhood (family maltreatment), and these factors are closely interrelated, highlighting the potential role of family in the development and maintenance of social withdrawal.

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Hidden youth services: What Hong Kong can learn from Japan

Cited by 33 publications

References 27 publications

Internet Addiction, Hikikomori Syndrome, and the Prodromal Phase of Psychosis

Internet Addiction, Hikikomori Syndrome, and the Prodromal Phase of Psychosis

Youth social withdrawal behavior (hikikomori): A systematic review of qualitative and quantitative studies

Family Features of Social Withdrawal Syndrome (Hikikomori)

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