Hikikomori Risk in the UK

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Social Psychiatry

Background:

• Hikikomori syndrome is characterized by voluntary social withdrawal, typically emerging in young adulthood.
• Previous research on hikikomori risk has been limited in the UK population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate and refine the Hikikomori Risk Inventory-24 (HRI-24) screening tool for use with UK young adults.
• To assess the psychometric properties of a shortened version of the HRI-24.

Main Methods:

• Study 1 involved 341 UK young adults completing the HRI-24, followed by item analysis and confirmatory factor analysis.
• Study 2 included 228 UK young adults to examine the correlation between the refined HRI-13 and modern-type depression.

Main Results:

• A 13-item Hikikomori Risk Inventory (HRI-13) was developed, showing perfect correlation with the HRI-24.
• Both HRI-13 and HRI-24 demonstrated strong validity, correlating with depression, anxiety, avoidant coping, and negative early life factors.
• HRI-13 scores positively correlated with modern-type depression, characterized by social avoidance and technology addiction.

Conclusions:

• The HRI-13 and HRI-24 are effective in identifying hikikomori risks linked to negative affect and anxiety.
• The screening tools may have limitations in detecting risks not associated with negative affect.