National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Japan.
Psychiatry Res. 2010 Mar 30;176(1):69-74. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2008.10.019. Epub 2010 Jan 15.
The epidemiology of "hikikomori" (acute social withdrawal) in a community population is not clear, although it has been noted for the past decade in Japan. The objective of this study is to clarify the prevalence of "hikikomori" and to examine the relation between "hikikomori" and psychiatric disorders. A face-to-face household survey was conducted of community residents (n=4134). We defined "hikikomori" as a psychopathological phenomenon in which people become completely withdrawn from society for 6 months or longer. We asked all respondents whether they had any children currently experiencing "hikikomori". For respondents aged 20-49 years old (n=1660), we asked whether they had ever experienced "hikikomori". A total of 1.2% had experienced "hikikomori" in their lifetime. Among them, 54.5% had also experienced a psychiatric (mood, anxiety, impulse control, or substance-related) disorder in their lifetime. Respondents who experienced "hikikomori" had a 6.1 times higher risk of mood disorder. Among respondents, 0.5% currently had at least one child who had experienced "hikikomori". The study suggests that "hikikomori" is common in the community population in Japan. While psychiatric disorders were often comorbid with "hikikomori", half of the cases seem to be "primary hikikomori" without a comorbid psychiatric disorder.
“蛰居族”（急性社会退缩）在社区人群中的流行病学情况尚不清楚，尽管在过去十年中在日本已经注意到了这种现象。本研究旨在阐明“蛰居族”的患病率，并探讨“蛰居族”与精神障碍之间的关系。对社区居民（n=4134）进行了面对面的家庭调查。我们将“蛰居族”定义为一种心理病理现象，即人们完全从社会中退出长达 6 个月或更长时间。我们询问所有受访者是否有目前正在经历“蛰居族”的孩子。对于年龄在 20-49 岁的受访者（n=1660），我们询问他们是否曾经经历过“蛰居族”。一生中共有 1.2%的人经历过“蛰居族”。其中，54.5%的人在一生中也曾经历过精神障碍（情绪、焦虑、冲动控制或物质相关障碍）。经历过“蛰居族”的受访者患心境障碍的风险高 6.1 倍。在受访者中，目前有 0.5%的人至少有一个经历过“蛰居族”的孩子。该研究表明，“蛰居族”在日本社区人群中很常见。虽然精神障碍常与“蛰居族”共病，但似乎有一半的病例是没有共病精神障碍的“原发性蛰居族”。
