SynthesisFrontiers in psychology2026
The rise of hikikomori research: a bibliometric analysis of an emerging global phenomenon.
Synthesis in Frontiers in psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Introduction: Hikikomori, characterized by prolonged and severe social withdrawal, has attracted growing international attention as research has extended beyond its original Japanese context. This study examines the growth dynamics, citation impact, productivity patterns, collaboration structure, and conceptual and intellectual development of the hikikomori literature. Methods: Data have been retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus databases. Following screening and deduplication, 348 unique publications from 2002 to 2025 have been included. Performance analysis and science mapping techniques have been applied using the bibliometrix R package, Biblioshiny, and VOSviewer. Results: Publication output has remained limited during the early years, has become more visible after 2010, and has increased markedly after 2018, with the highest annual output recorded in 2025 ( Conclusion: The findings have indicated that hikikomori research has developed into a broader and increasingly international field in which clinical, psychosocial, developmental, cultural, and digital perspectives have been represented. Greater interdisciplinary and cross-cultural engagement has therefore been identified as an important direction for future research.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.