Identifying Social Withdrawal (Hikikomori) Factors in Adolescents: Understanding the Hikikomori Spectrum

Hikikomori is a Japanese term for social withdrawal, ranging from complete inability to venture outdoors to preferring to stay inside. The prevalence of hikikomori is high, up to 1.2% of the Japanese population, but only few studies have examined its emergence in adolescents. Therefore, we sought to identify environmental and psycho-behavioral characteristics related to hikikomori during adolescence. Parents of middle school students who underwent psychiatric outpatient treatment for hikikomori (n = 20) and control group parents (n = 88) completed the Child Behavior Checklist to evaluate their child's psycho-behavioral characteristics and novel scales to evaluate environmental characteristics and hikikomori severity. Scores for all eight Child Behavior Checklist subscales were significantly higher in the experimental group. Multiple regression analysis revealed that "anxious/depressed," "somatic complaints," "lack of communication between parents" and "overuse of the Internet" were significant predictors of hikikomori severity. These findings can help identify individuals who are at risk of developing hikikomori.