School of Child Psychology, Tokyo Future University, Tokyo, Japan.
Department of Psychology, Fukuyama University, Hiroshima, Japan.
Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2022 Dec;56(12):1542-1554. doi: 10.1177/00048674221085917. Epub 2022 Mar 25.
This review, which was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021237988), aimed to systematically extract common elements in the hikikomori definition or criteria applied by researchers and examine cultural differences and chronological changes in the demographic characteristics of hikikomori individuals such as age, gender and hikikomori duration.
For inclusion in the review, the hikikomori criteria, age and gender of the hikikomori individuals had to be specified, and the article had to be peer-reviewed and written in Japanese or English, focusing on hikikomori individuals or their families. Case studies, reviews and qualitative studies were excluded.
The total sample size for the 52 studies included in the review was 4744. Over 80% of the studies included the elements 'not working or attending school', 'not socializing outside one's home' and 'duration of hikikomori' in their hikikomori criteria, and many studies included the element 'staying at home on most days except solitary outings'. A cross-temporal meta-analysis showed the possibility that the age of hikikomori individuals increased chronologically (β = 0.44, B = 0.50, 95% confidence interval = [0.16, 0.84]). Comparisons weighted by sample size between Japan and other countries showed the possibility that the age of hikikomori individuals was higher ( = 0.32), the percentage of males was lower ( = 0.91) and the hikikomori duration was shorter ( = 2.06) in studies conducted in countries other than Japan. However, many of the included studies had a high risk of selection bias, and this bias may have influenced the results obtained. Thus, the results of this study may represent the researcher's perception of hikikomori rather than accurately representing the actual condition of hikikomori.
Researchers should specifically identify similarities and differences in the clinical picture of hikikomori and compare the studies to organize the findings derived from studies focusing on hikikomori.
本综述在 PROSPERO（CRD42021237988）注册，旨在系统提取研究人员应用的“蛰居族”定义或标准中的常见要素，并考察蛰居族个体人口特征（如年龄、性别和蛰居时间）方面的文化差异和时间变化。
纳入本综述的标准为：必须明确蛰居族标准、蛰居族个体的年龄和性别，且文章必须为同行评审、以英文或日文发表，重点关注蛰居族个体或其家庭。排除病例研究、综述和定性研究。
本综述纳入的 52 项研究的总样本量为 4744 例。超过 80%的研究在其蛰居族标准中纳入了“不工作或不上学”“不在家以外的地方社交”和“蛰居时间”等要素，许多研究还纳入了“除了独自外出，大部分时间都待在家里”这一要素。跨时间荟萃分析显示，蛰居族个体的年龄可能随时间推移而增加（β=0.44，B=0.50，95%置信区间[0.16，0.84]）。按样本量加权的日本与其他国家比较显示，在日本以外国家开展的研究中，蛰居族个体的年龄可能更高（ = 0.32），男性比例可能更低（ = 0.91），蛰居时间可能更短（ = 2.06）。然而，许多纳入的研究存在选择偏倚的高风险，这可能会影响研究结果。因此，本研究的结果可能代表研究人员对蛰居族的看法，而不是准确反映蛰居族的实际情况。
研究人员应明确识别蛰居族临床表现的异同，并对研究进行比较，以整理出专注于蛰居族的研究结果。
