Venn diagrams of respondents who meet every definition of hikikomori. Credit score: Psychiatry and Medical Neurosciences (2025). DOI: 10.1111/pcn.13783
The definition of “hikikomori”—individuals who keep away from social participation and customarily keep at dwelling—in line with standards utilized by the Japanese Cupboard Workplace survey, as reported within the press, differs from the diagnostic standards for hikikomori proposed within the area of psychiatry. Researchers on the College of Tsukuba have discovered, in a survey of residents of Kasama Metropolis, Ibaraki Prefecture, that the populations described by completely different definitions of hikikomori had little overlap, and the prevalence charges of hikikomori differed in line with the definition used.
Though the necessity for help for hikikomori has lately been rising, tips on how to outline hikikomori by way of affected person traits has not often been mentioned.
In a research revealed in Psychiatry and Medical Neurosciences, researchers used two units of standards, which included the factors decided by the Japanese Cupboard Workplace to be used within the Workplace’s nationwide survey, in addition to the lately proposed psychiatric standards for pathological hikikomori. They outlined teams that met every criterion. They then carried out a survey to determine overlaps and variations between the teams.
Particularly, a questionnaire survey was administered to residents of Kasama Metropolis, Ibaraki Prefecture, for a one-month interval, starting in February 2024, to find out whether or not respondents met both of the 2 standards. The researchers analyzed the dissimilarities amongst three teams of hikikomori: the group of hikikomori as outlined by the Japanese Cupboard Workplace standards, the group of pathological hikikomori in line with the psychiatric standards, and the group of non-pathological hikikomori in line with the psychiatric standards.
Their outcomes revealed that though there was overlap among the many three teams, there have been additionally vital variations between the teams.
In lots of instances, the Japanese Cupboard Workplace’s standards weren’t strictly adhered to in surveys that had been carried out by municipalities. If variations within the definitions of hikikomori and the traits of the hikikomori inhabitants are usually not understood, an inaccurate understanding of withdrawal may come up.
There’s a want for warning when decoding and evaluating survey outcomes. To supply help for hikikomori, one should pay attention to the factors used to diagnose the situation, and one should conduct multifaceted evaluations from varied views on psychological well being and welfare with out overmedicalizing the situation.
Extra data:
Kaoru Tamura et al, The hikikomori inhabitants varies considerably relying on the definition used: Proof from a survey in Kasama, Ibaraki, Japan, Psychiatry and Medical Neurosciences (2025). DOI: 10.1111/pcn.13783
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College of Tsukuba
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Hikikomori: Figuring out individuals who keep away from social participation in Japan can fluctuate relying on standards used (2025, March 19)
retrieved 20 March 2025
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