The objective of this scoping review is to examine the characteristics and clinical and psychosocial correlates of hikikomori and severe social withdrawal outside East Asia, where the phenomenon was first described. This review conceptualizes hikikomori as a potentially global phenomenon rather than one confined to East Asian cultural contexts. For the purposes of this review, severe social isolation or withdrawal is defined as a marked reduction or absence of in-person social interaction characterized by remaining primarily at home for ≥6 months, when duration is specified, or by a clear description of chronic or prolonged social withdrawal consistent with a hikikomori-like presentation.
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Kim et al. (2026) studied this question.
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