The Relationship between the Hikikomori Tendency and Self-Regulation in University Students

Abstract

The goal of this study was to investigate the basic of support for hikikomori. For this purpose, the relationship between the hikikomori tendency to effortful control (EC), temperament facet of self-regulation, and social self-regulation (SSR), social facet of self-regulation, was examined, using two hypothetical models taking into account the differences in gender. A questionnaire survey was administered to 514 undergraduates at three universities. The participants were divided into groups using gender structural equation modeling, as “oversensitiveness” and “self-disgust,” subcategories of the hikikomori tendency, were found to be significantly higher for female than male students. Based on the results, a model relating EC directly to the hikikomori tendency was adopted. EC was not only directly associated with the hikikomori tendency but also indirectly associated with the hikikomori tendency with the mediation of SSR.: both associations were negative. There was also found some difference in models for each gender. Thus, EC may be a risk factor for hikikomori tendency and that enhancing SSR could help support hikikomori.