BACKGROUND The word hikikomori, the abnormal avoidance of social contact, has become increasingly well-known. However, a definition of this phenomenon has not been discussed thoroughly. The aim of this study is to gain a better understanding of the perception of hikikomori amongst health-related students and professionals and to explore possible psychiatric conditions underlying hikikomori. M...

BACKGROUND Social isolation is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. A severe form of social isolation or social withdrawal, called hikikomori in Japan, has been described, but controversy over the etiology and universality of the phenomenon remains. METHOD Case report. RESULTS Diagnostic assessment by structured clinical interview and psychometric tools revealed hikikomori a...

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 ...

BACKGROUND Hikikomori (acute social withdrawal) is a social issue in Japan that affects both the society and the lives of the individual sufferers. AIMS This study aims to connect attachment theory and hikikomori by using a culturally sensitive psychosocial developmental model that outlines the various stages of attachment throughout the developmental years. METHOD Twenty-four hikikomori su...

A cross-sectional study was designed to understand the impacts of "hikikomori" lifestyle on physical health. A total of 104 eligible hikikomori cases were recruited from the social services network of Hong Kong with a mean age of 19.02 ± 3.62 (ranged 13-31) year-old, and had completed the set of questionnaires and a series of anthropometric and physical health measurements. Despite SF36 score o...

The phenomenon, commonly referred to as "hikikomori", is a major social problem confronting Japan today. There are believed to be a million such young adults who refuse to work and who avoid all social contact. In this paper, I consider possible contributing factors of hikikomori, including traditional Japanese culture and its mentality of "giri to one's name"; the psychopathology of taijinkyof...

Hikikomori is a recent phenomenon among young adults in which they isolate themselves from social contacts and responsibility for more than 6 months. This problem has assumed epidemic proportions in Japan and has been widely discussed across disciplines. Previous studies have associated hikikomori with a maladaptation to structural change, an emergent mental problem that needs new diagnosis, or...

To understand the health impacts of “hikikomori” lifestyle and to establish its first 16 comprehensive health profile, a cross-sectional study was designed to measure how well the cases 17 of hikikomori youths of Hong Kong were living, in terms of social, mental and physical aspects. 18 This study involved 104 eligible participants at age 19.02 year-old who had completed the set of 19 questionn...

Over the last decade, phenomenon of young people suffering from social withdrawal (hikikomori) has become a emergency in many countries. The aim this review is to analyse whether and how researchers have considered relationship between emergence spread hikikomori characteristics that educational contexts assume neoliberal societies. searches, which were conducted Web Science, Scopus, Proquest J...

Objectives In Japan today it is believed that there are a million young adults who refuse to work and who avoid social contact. This phenomenon, known as “hikikomori” (social withdrawal), has become a serious socio-psychological problem throughout the country. However, there has been little psychopathological consideration of this phenomenon, and no detailed discussion of diagnosis. In this art...