Comorbidity Between Hikikomori and Autistic Traits May Be Identified as a Phenotypical Presentation Characterized by Greater Severity
<b>Objectives</b>: Hikikomori is a condition characterized by extreme social withdrawal, functional impairment, and mental distress, which has gained increasing recognition worldwide. While it can be associated with comorbid psychiatric disorders, hikikomori shares similarities with auti...
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/15/5/496 |
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| author | Liliana Dell’Osso Benedetta Nardi Dario Muti Chiara De Felice Valeria Tognini Francesca Parri Federico Giovannoni Filippo Del Grande Chiara Bonelli Gabriele Massimetti Stefano Pini Andrea Fiorillo Barbara Carpita |
| author_facet | Liliana Dell’Osso Benedetta Nardi Dario Muti Chiara De Felice Valeria Tognini Francesca Parri Federico Giovannoni Filippo Del Grande Chiara Bonelli Gabriele Massimetti Stefano Pini Andrea Fiorillo Barbara Carpita |
| author_sort | Liliana Dell’Osso |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <b>Objectives</b>: Hikikomori is a condition characterized by extreme social withdrawal, functional impairment, and mental distress, which has gained increasing recognition worldwide. While it can be associated with comorbid psychiatric disorders, hikikomori shares similarities with autism spectrum, prompting investigations into their relationship. Given that hikikomori commonly manifests in early adulthood, this study aimed to explore the relationship between autistic features and hikikomori tendencies among university students. <b>Methods</b>: A total of 2037 university students were recruited via an online survey and assessed with the Adult Autism Subthreshold (AdAS) Spectrum and the Hikikomori Questionnaire (HQ-25). Participants were categorized into four groups: healthy controls (HCs), subjects with hikikomori tendencies (HKs), subjects with significant autistic traits (ATs), and subjects with both significant ATs and hikikomori tendencies (AT-HKs). <b>Results</b>: Results showed significant effects of both hikikomori presence and significant ATs on AdAS Spectrum and HQ-25 scores, while a significant effect of their interaction was detected on AdAS Spectrum scores. The AT-HK group consistently scored higher on both AdAS Spectrum and HQ-25 compared to other groups, with the AT and HK groups outperforming HCs in specific domains. HQ-25 Socialization and Isolation domains predicted higher AdAS Spectrum scores in hikikomori subjects, while various AdAS Spectrum domains served as predictors of HQ-25 scores in AT subjects. <b>Conclusions</b>: This study highlights a significant relationship between ATs and hikikomori tendencies in university students, suggesting that their comorbidity may represent a more severe phenotype, where each condition may exacerbate the other. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2d96ebeaf8cb4b88a3a35e6be237bf33 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2076-3425 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Brain Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-2d96ebeaf8cb4b88a3a35e6be237bf332025-08-20T03:14:30ZengMDPI AGBrain Sciences2076-34252025-05-0115549610.3390/brainsci15050496Comorbidity Between Hikikomori and Autistic Traits May Be Identified as a Phenotypical Presentation Characterized by Greater SeverityLiliana Dell’Osso0Benedetta Nardi1Dario Muti2Chiara De Felice3Valeria Tognini4Francesca Parri5Federico Giovannoni6Filippo Del Grande7Chiara Bonelli8Gabriele Massimetti9Stefano Pini10Andrea Fiorillo11Barbara Carpita12Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, ItalyDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, ItalyDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, ItalyDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, ItalyDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, ItalyDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, ItalyDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, ItalyDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, ItalyDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, ItalyDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, ItalyDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, ItalyDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy<b>Objectives</b>: Hikikomori is a condition characterized by extreme social withdrawal, functional impairment, and mental distress, which has gained increasing recognition worldwide. While it can be associated with comorbid psychiatric disorders, hikikomori shares similarities with autism spectrum, prompting investigations into their relationship. Given that hikikomori commonly manifests in early adulthood, this study aimed to explore the relationship between autistic features and hikikomori tendencies among university students. <b>Methods</b>: A total of 2037 university students were recruited via an online survey and assessed with the Adult Autism Subthreshold (AdAS) Spectrum and the Hikikomori Questionnaire (HQ-25). Participants were categorized into four groups: healthy controls (HCs), subjects with hikikomori tendencies (HKs), subjects with significant autistic traits (ATs), and subjects with both significant ATs and hikikomori tendencies (AT-HKs). <b>Results</b>: Results showed significant effects of both hikikomori presence and significant ATs on AdAS Spectrum and HQ-25 scores, while a significant effect of their interaction was detected on AdAS Spectrum scores. The AT-HK group consistently scored higher on both AdAS Spectrum and HQ-25 compared to other groups, with the AT and HK groups outperforming HCs in specific domains. HQ-25 Socialization and Isolation domains predicted higher AdAS Spectrum scores in hikikomori subjects, while various AdAS Spectrum domains served as predictors of HQ-25 scores in AT subjects. <b>Conclusions</b>: This study highlights a significant relationship between ATs and hikikomori tendencies in university students, suggesting that their comorbidity may represent a more severe phenotype, where each condition may exacerbate the other.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/15/5/496hikikomoriautismautistic traitssocial withdrawal |
| spellingShingle | Liliana Dell’Osso Benedetta Nardi Dario Muti Chiara De Felice Valeria Tognini Francesca Parri Federico Giovannoni Filippo Del Grande Chiara Bonelli Gabriele Massimetti Stefano Pini Andrea Fiorillo Barbara Carpita Comorbidity Between Hikikomori and Autistic Traits May Be Identified as a Phenotypical Presentation Characterized by Greater Severity Brain Sciences hikikomori autism autistic traits social withdrawal |
| title | Comorbidity Between Hikikomori and Autistic Traits May Be Identified as a Phenotypical Presentation Characterized by Greater Severity |
| title_full | Comorbidity Between Hikikomori and Autistic Traits May Be Identified as a Phenotypical Presentation Characterized by Greater Severity |
| title_fullStr | Comorbidity Between Hikikomori and Autistic Traits May Be Identified as a Phenotypical Presentation Characterized by Greater Severity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comorbidity Between Hikikomori and Autistic Traits May Be Identified as a Phenotypical Presentation Characterized by Greater Severity |
| title_short | Comorbidity Between Hikikomori and Autistic Traits May Be Identified as a Phenotypical Presentation Characterized by Greater Severity |
| title_sort | comorbidity between hikikomori and autistic traits may be identified as a phenotypical presentation characterized by greater severity |
| topic | hikikomori autism autistic traits social withdrawal |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/15/5/496 |
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