Characteristics of "chūnibyō" identified by a questionnaire

"Chūnibyō" is a term that represents a distinctive, transient mental state during puberty in Japan, but its characteristics and precise definition have not been standardized. Increased awareness of chūnibyō could lead to a better environment for those who experience it. This study aimed to identify the characteristics of and problems related to chūnibyō using an anonymous questionnaire.

An anonymous online questionnaire was conducted in February 2021 in Japan. In total, 314 volunteers completed the anonymous online questionnaire. Respondents were divided into the chūnibyō group (n = 122) and the non-chūnibyō group (n = 192), and the questionnaire responses were compared between the two groups. Furthermore, the responses were compared between the chūnibyō with problems subgroup (n = 82) and the other subgroup (n = 232). The main outcome was the identification of the chūnibyō group based on the responses to the item "I have experienced chūnibyō" or "I have been told that I exhibited chūnibyō".

The median age of the chūnibyō group was 31 years old; this group was predominantly male (n = 79, 64.8%) and had a relatively high proportion of respondents with any problems (n = 82, 67.2%). The chūnibyō group had higher proportions of respondents who felt that academic tests did not reflect their true worth (n = 58 (47.5%) vs. n = 66 (35.4%), p = 0.024), who felt uncomfortable in the world (n = 77 (61.1%) vs. n = 67 (34.9%), p<0.001), and who had an imaginary/fantasy friend or boyfriend/girlfriend (n = 39 (32.0%) vs. n = 10 (5.2%), p<0.001). The results were similar between the chūnibyō with problems subgroup and the other subgroup. Eighty respondents (25.4%) had negative impressions of chūnibyō, whereas twenty-one respondents (6.7%) had positive impressions.

This study is the first to report the characteristics of chūnibyō by collecting the experiences and thoughts of people who experienced chūnibyō.