Aims: Hikikomori is a new psychosociological phenomenon among youth, of almost complete withdrawal from social interaction, and it has received considerable attention in community mental health in Japan. The aims of the present study were to identify the influential factors of family difficulties of parents who use support services for children with hikikomori, and compare them between fathers and mothers.
Methods: Data were collected from 110 parents (55 couples) of children with hikikomori with regard to family difficulties, quality of life, and depression variables via self-report questionnaires. To assess the influential factors of Family Difficulties for parents with children with hikikomori, hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis was carried out for gender.
Results: While 94.5% of mothers received some kind of family support, only 61.9% of fathers received it. For both genders, the number of services that the fathers received was significantly correlated with marital cooperation, and the number of services that the mothers received was significantly correlated with support resource utilization.
Conclusions: It is necessary for fathers to receive more support, and it is important for professionals to encourage parents to address their difficulties together.
Keywords: family difficulties; hikikomori; social withdrawal.
© 2014 The Authors. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences © 2014 Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.