Hikikomori

For the 2008 South Korean film, see Loner (film).

A young Japanese man living as a hikikomori in 2004

Hikikomori (Japanese: ひきこもり or 引きこもり, lit. "pulling inward, being confined"), also known as severe social withdrawal,[1][2][3][4][5] is total withdrawal from society and seeking extreme degrees of social isolation and confinement.[6] Hikikomori refers to both the phenomenon in general and the recluses themselves, described as loners or "modern-day hermits".[7] The phenomenon is primarily recognized in Japan, although similar concepts exist in other languages and cultures, especially South Korea.[8][9] Estimates suggest that in Japan, half a million youths have become social recluses,[10] as well as more than half a million middle-aged individuals.[11] In South Korea, the estimates vary from around 350,000–500,000.[12]

  1. ^ Bowker, Julie C.; Bowker, Matthew H.; Santo, Jonathan B.; Ojo, Adesola Adebusola; Etkin, Rebecca G.; Raja, Radhi (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. PMID 31305235. S2CID 196616453.
  2. ^ Hamasaki, Yukiko; Pionnié-Dax, Nancy; Dorard, Géraldine; Tajan, Nicolas; Hikida, Takatoshi (2020). "Identifying Social Withdrawal (Hikikomori) Factors in Adolescents: Understanding the Hikikomori Spectrum". Child Psychiatry & Human Development. 52 (5): 808–817. doi:10.1007/s10578-020-01064-8. PMC 8405474. PMID 32959142.
  3. ^ Malagón-Amor, Ángeles; Martín-López, Luis Miguel; Córcoles, David; González, Anna; Bellsolà, Magda; Teo, Alan R.; Bulbena, Antoni; Pérez, Víctor; Bergé, Daniel (2020). "Family Features of Social Withdrawal Syndrome (Hikikomori)". Frontiers in Psychiatry. 11: 138. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00138. PMC 7061609. PMID 32194459.
  4. ^ Ovejero, Santiago; Caro-Cañizares, Irene; de León-Martínez, Victoria; Baca-Garcia, Enrique (2014). "Prolonged social withdrawal disorder: A hikikomori case in Spain". International Journal of Social Psychiatry. 60 (6): 562–565. doi:10.1177/0020764013504560. PMID 24101742. S2CID 39990406.
  5. ^ Hayakawa, Kohei; Kato, Takahiro A.; Watabe, Motoki; Teo, Alan R.; Horikawa, Hideki; Kuwano, Nobuki; Shimokawa, Norihiro; Sato-Kasai, Mina; Kubo, Hiroaki; Ohgidani, Masahiro; Sagata, Noriaki; Toda, Hiroyuki; Tateno, Masaru; Shinfuku, Naotaka; Kishimoto, Junji; Kanba, Shigenobu (13 February 2018). "Blood biomarkers of Hikikomori, a severe social withdrawal syndrome". Scientific Reports. 8 (1): 2884. Bibcode:2018NatSR...8.2884H. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-21260-w. PMC 5811600. PMID 29440704.
  6. ^ Kremer, William; Hammond, Claudia (5 July 2003). "Hikikomori: Why are so many Japanese men refusing to leave their rooms?". BBC News. BBC. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  7. ^ Teo, Alan (8 November 2012). Modern-Day Hermits: The Story Hikkomori in Japan and Beyond (YouTube). University of Michigan Center for Japanese Studies. Archived from the original on 22 January 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  8. ^ "Hikikomori: Why S Korea is paying young recluses to leave home". 26 May 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  9. ^ "More Koreans become recluses". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. 22 January 2017. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  10. ^ Jozuka, Emiko (12 September 2016). "Why won't 541,000 young Japanese leave the house?". CNN News. Archived from the original on 11 November 2017. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  11. ^ "613,000 in Japan aged 40 to 64 are recluses, says first government survey of hikikomori". The Japan Times Online. 29 March 2019. ISSN 0447-5763. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  12. ^ Se, Eun Gong. ""Social isolation takes a toll on a rising number of South Korea's young adults"". NPR.