Hikikomori: A Scientometric Review of 20 Years of Research

Michelle Jin Yee Neoh, Alessandro Carollo, Mengyu Lim and Gianluca Esposito ()
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Michelle Jin Yee Neoh: Psychology Program, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639818, Singapore
Alessandro Carollo: Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, Italy
Mengyu Lim: Psychology Program, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639818, Singapore
Gianluca Esposito: Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, Italy

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 9, 1-19

Abstract: The Japanese term hikikomori was first used to describe prolonged social withdrawal in the 1990s. Since then, research across the world have reported similar prolonged social withdrawal in many countries outside Japan. This study systematically analyses the evolution of literature on hikikomori in the past 20 years to gain a better understanding of the development of the knowledge base on hikikomori since it garnered attention in Japan. Findings from the scientometric review indicate many perspectives on the etiology of hikikomori including cultural, attachment, family systems and sociological approaches. However, similarities with modern type depression, a novel psychiatric syndrome, have been proposed and there are signs of a recent paradigm shift of hikikomori as a society-bound syndrome rather than a cultural-bound syndrome unique to Japan. As research into hikikomori continues to grow, results from the review also highlight the need for a more universally shared definition of hikikomori in order to better consolidate cross-cultural research for meaningful and valid cross-cultural comparisons which can help to promote evidence-based therapeutic interventions for hikikomori .

Keywords: document co-citation analysis; country analysis; hikikomori; social withdrawal; scientometrics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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