Author ORCID Identifier
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-15-2019
Publication Title
Research and Theory on Human Developement
Volume
180
Issue
4-5
First Page
217
Last Page
230
Abstract
Hikikomori (social withdrawal that lasts six months or longer) is a growing problem among Japanese adolescents and young adults, with recent estimates that approximately 1% of Japanese youths will suffer from an episode of hikikomori in their lifetimes. What remains unclear is whether hikikomori is a culture-bound syndrome or a condition impacting youths around the globe. Hence, the self-reported prevalence and psychosocial correlates of past experiences with hikikomori were examined in cross-sectional samples of university students from Singapore (n = 147), Nigeria (n = 151), and the United States (n = 301). Following tests of measurement invariance, comparisons showed that past experiences with hikikomori were related to elevated levels of current loneliness and depressive symptoms in each sample. However, analyses also revealed evidence of cultural variation in both the prevalence and the psychosocial correlates associated with past experiences of hikikomori, which taken together, provide preliminary evidence that the culture-bound characterization of hikikomori may not be appropriate.
Recommended Citation
Julie C. Bowker, Matthew H. Bowker, Jonathan B. Santo, Adesola Adebusola Ojo, Rebecca G. Etkin & Radhi Raja (2019) Severe Social Withdrawal: Cultural Variation in Past Hikikomori Experiences of University Students in Nigeria, Singapore, and the United States, The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 180:4-5, 217-230, DOI: 10.1080/00221325.2019.1633618
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Comments
This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in The Journal of Genetic Psychology on July 15, 2019 available online: https://doi.org/10.1080/00221325.2019.1633618