It is a phenomenon that primarily affects adolescents, mostly males, although the number of females appears to be increasing and may have been underestimated in studies conducted so far.
Official surveys carried out by the Japanese government have identified around 1.5 million cases, with an average age above forty. This is because, although social withdrawal typically begins during adolescence, it tends to become chronic quite easily and can therefore last a lifetime.
In Italy too, awareness of the phenomenon is growing. Hikikomori does not seem to be a culture-bound syndrome limited to the Japanese context, as was once believed, but rather a form of social maladaptation that affects all economically developed countries.
In Italy, official data focus exclusively on secondary school students and estimate between 50,000 and 70,000 cases, while no quantitative studies have yet been conducted on the general population.
Causes
The causes of hikikomori can be diverse:
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Personality-related: Hikikomori are often intelligent but also highly sensitive and socially inhibited. This temperament contributes to their difficulty in forming fulfilling and lasting relationships, as well as in coping effectively with the inevitable challenges and disappointments of life.
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Family-related: Emotional absence of the father and excessive attachment to the mother have been identified as possible contributing factors, especially in Japan. Parents often struggle to connect with their child, who in turn frequently refuses any form of help.
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School-related: School refusal is one of the first warning signs of hikikomori. The school environment is often experienced very negatively, and in many cases, isolation hides a history of bullying.
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Social: Hikikomori tend to develop a deeply negative view of society and feel particularly burdened by social pressures to succeed, which they desperately try to escape.
All of this leads to increasing difficulty and loss of motivation in engaging with social life, eventually resulting in its complete rejection. Internet addiction is often cited as one of the main causes of social withdrawal, but in many cases, excessive use of technology appears to be more a consequence of isolation than a direct cause.
Our Mission
The main goal of Hikikomori Italia ETS is to inform, raise awareness, and foster a critical reflection on this phenomenon—which, in truth, concerns us all as a society.
A second, equally important goal is to provide young people in Italy who experience social withdrawal with free online psychological support. For families, we offer opportunities for discussion and mutual exchange, either online through our dedicated platforms, or in person through the peer-support groups organized by our partner association, Hikikomori Italia Genitori ETS.
If you, like us, wish to better understand hikikomori and its deeper dynamics, we invite you to read the posts on this blog and follow our social media channels—particularly Facebook and Instagram.
Thank you very much.