Questions......

Is Hikikomori a self-imposed isolation? Is it a fact of losing out in the tides of the constant changing social structure? Is it a voluntary behavior or involuntary behavior? What are the current interventions? Is what we believe of the facts today is true? Is family a part of the intervention?

Themes

Bookmarks Designed for Hikikomori Awareness

Thesis - Acknowledgement

Acknowledgement

 

This thesis is completed with prayers of many and sacrificial love of my family and friends. I would like to thank all my fellow friends who had helped me in brainstorming, recruiting participants, and providing information for this study. However, there are a few people that I would like to specially acknowledge and extend my heartfelt gratitude who have made the completion of this research possible:

I want to thank the Department of Community Medicine of Hong Kong University for giving me permission to commence this thesis in the first instance, to do the necessary research work. I have furthermore to thank my supervisor Prof. Richard Fielding for he had given me his full support in guiding me with stimulating suggestions and encouragement to go ahead in all the time of research for and writing of this thesis. I am bound to Prof. Victor Wong Cheong Wing from the University of Baptist Hong Kong of the help and inspiration he extended. I am deeply indebted to my friend Prof. Lee V. Hamilton from the University of Baptist Hong Kong for the help in proofreading and given me various suggestions on how to improve the writing of this thesis.

My colleagues from the Department of Community Medicine had supported me in various areas of this research work. I want to thank them for all their help, support, interest and valuable hints. Especially I am obliged to Miss Patsy Chau Y.K. and Dr. Janice M. Johnston. Miss Joyce Fung H.Y. for her great help in administrative work.

My special thanks to the following people, Miss Vivian Chan W.Y. and Miss Wihelmina Ko Yuk Hang who had extended their help of the illustrations; Miss Hori Yukiko, Mr. Onishi Toshisada and Miss Connie Mak, Mr. Matthias Buerki, Miss Barbara Chan CY, Miss Flora Wu Da Dong, Miss Genie Au Lok Sang, Mr. Alex Wong Weng Wah, Mr. Shane D. Wright had gave me their greatest support in brainstorming and often of great help in difficult times.

I would like to thank Full Gospel Assembly Kuala Lumpur of their prayers and financial support in making the printing of the bookmarks available. Most especially to my family and friends: Catherine, Sun Sun, Peter, Boh Yean and Bee Ngee. And to God, who made all things possible. 

Exploring Hikikomori - A Mixed Methods Qualitative Research

Abstract

Introduction: Hikikomori, a term referred to a person who is in social withdrawal, and who has strictly confined him/herself in a room or house for a continuous period of six months or more, had attracted significant media and academic attention. Hikikomori have no previous diagnosis of existing mental-illness, and because of abrupt onset and association with negative media reports, the phenomenon had created tension and raised public health concerns. The interesting phenomena that arose with this problem among academics were debates about etiology and interventions. This study used a mixed-methods qualitative approach to explore hikikomori. 

Purpose: This study was designed to explore the nature of hikikomori experience and investigated the phenomenon of hikikomori, comparing and contrasting findings with the previous studies and claims, using grounded theory analysis of qualitative data.

Methods: A mixed-methods approach was necessarily adopted to recruit the sample. Snowball sampling methods and virtual participant observation approaches were adopted to circumvent the difficulties in both identifying and recruiting participants.

Data analysis: Grounded theory approach to qualitative analysis.

Results: Eight respondents were recruited using snowball sampling methods, and 160 participants were observed of the virtual participant observation method. Analysis produced three emergent themes, “Coping”, “Trust”, and “Existence”. Each theme comprised one or more categories, which in turn evidenced a number of different elements. Definitive characteristics of hikikomori were obtained from respondents through virtual participant observation. The emergent theoretical framework and the list are mutually supportive in the results obtained from this study, which suggested emotional pain exists in hikikomori in relation to human relationships. The results of the present study suggest that hikikomori is characterized by more diffuse features, including difficulties in coping with people or tasks, difficulties with trust, unhappiness about life and poor concept of time. There was no evidence of violent or aggressive behaviours.

Conclusion: The findings in this study suggest that hikikomori should not be taken lightly nor be considered comparable to depression, agoraphobia or other mental illness. The differences between self-perceived and other-perceived characteristics of hikikomori suggest existing interventions may be inappropriate, and challenges the perspective of time and target subjects. Data suggested that most Hikikomori are deeply unhappy about life and have a low quality of life and poor self-esteem, suggesting early intervention is most likely to be beneficial. The data also suggests that hikikomori is not a cultural-bound social illness limited only to Japanese, but a growing cross-cultural phenomenon. 

Hikikomori Sekai

If you study these three "productions", you might discover some interesting ideas and facts...... And you might find the three ex-hikikomori would have a very different story to tell.

The World of Ours, a disturbing movie by Ryo Nakajima, an ex-hikikomori (duration unknown). 

Nippon Hikikomori Kyokai, a humorous anime picturing the thoughts and lives of Hikikomori and Otaku, by Tatsuhiko 

Tatsumoto, an

ex-hikikomori (4 

years). 

Elemental, a philosophical "production" site by 

Mark Kay, an ex-hikikomori (8 years)

This interview was done with a caregiver to a Hikikomorian sister in Busan, Korea.

The interview was based on six questions. When, What, Why, How, Expectations.
Q1. How long your sister had been a "Hikikomori"?
A1: Almost more than 2 years now.

Q2: What does she do?
A2: Watching TV, especially sports. Doing internet.

Q3: Do you know the reasons for her to withdraw herself from connecting with people?
A3: My sister attended a church, and she was working in a mission organization, making "video animation" before she bacame a "hikikomori". She heard many people fighting each other in the company, many rejections, and saw a lot of bad things. Individually, she went through a lot of rejectio from step-mother, and elder sister inlaw. So, she had a bitter root in her heart, towards people, and God.

Can I tell you my story? (interviewer nodded, as a sign of "go ahead")

Actually , the family went through a lot of tribulation. My father is a drunker, and he died in 2003. My mother had mental disease since our childhood. The curse, passing down from old generation. Generation curses, have you heard?

Let me explain... My father's father was a drunker, and he despise woman. Then, my father hated my grandfather, but when he grew up, he became a drunker too, and despise woman. My mother's mother was a buddhist, my mother too. My mother once loved a poor young man, and my grandmother against it. Then, my mother broke up with the poor young man, and tried to suicide. However, my grandmother arranged my mother to marry with my father. After the marriage, she realized that my father was a drunker and he hated woman. She endured the relationship because of her pregnancy. Because of this relationship, my mother had mental illness, and always being hospitalized. My father brought home a stepmother when I went to university. She rejected us, and we also hated her.

Finally I met Jesus Christ, and I forgave my father. But not long after that, my mom died in the mental hospital. It was very painful to me.

My sister dropped out from university. After mom died, sister came to church. I'm not sure if she's born again, but she attended church right after mom's death in 1995.

After my brother married, my sister stayed with them. My sister inlaw not Christian. Brother at that time not Christian, they cannot understand me and my sister. My sister worked with mission organization, her salary 300,000 won (about 300 US), very low in Korea. My brother's wife cannot understand. But my sister thought God brought her to the mission organization.

After my father died, my step mother refused to return to us what he left for us. As a result, my brother bankrupt, me and my sister had economic hardship. Finally 3 years ago, my sister became a Hikikomori.

She also has sickness, inflamation in bowel. She was very thin, and she was hospitalized, the doctor told her that was not curable.

So, she hide herself in the house, and she stays with me now. About 2 years she not going out at all. Now, she goes to market with me, and she speaks only to the seller. Now she often smile, and she talks. But she still has no friends. She had one very intimate friend, but she cut all relationship. She recently told me that her intimate friend was working together with her in the same mission organization.

Q4: How come she changed? From not going out at all, to going out with you to the market?
A4: I think it's God's grace. I prayed for that! Ia ttended Benny Hyn's conference in Bangalore, India 2004. I have confidence God will heal my sister!

I think she was young at that time, as a spiritual baby, and she worked hard for the mission organization. Her burden was great. The pastor and co-workers made her felt guilty when she tried to quit. Such as making her feel that she was not a good Christian, and not following God's will...... She only told me these recently. I always though it was only because of my step mother.

Q5: Can you share with us your feelings being have to look after a Hikikomori family member?
A5: I thought it was a heavy burden because I had to support my sister economically. But now I think my thouight didn't comply with God's words. Now I accept it as God's plan to make me pure and I feel I have to fight against the evil spirit who attacked my family

Q6: How do you think you can be support better by the community?
A6: I think it's more of a evil attack towrds the family So I think the first is to pray, most important one. I think in the case of my sister, she was attacked by the religious spirit, in the mission organization. Isn't that spirit of withcraft? A spirit in using other things to control people, but not with the Holy Spirit. "If you are not involve in this movement, you are guilty for not following God!" This person became guilty, and another person is in control.