Psychometric Properties of the Hikikomori Questionnaire (HQ-25) in Türkiye

Abstract

Hikikomori, which means 'social withdrawal' in Japanese, has been seen in a variety of cultures, particularly in developed countries and in the Far East region. The 25-item Hikikomori Questionnaire (HQ-25) is a scale designed to assist in the evaluation of hikikomori, but few studies have examined its psychometric properties in populations outside Japan. The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of a shortened version of the HQ-25. The sample consisted of 501 Turkish participants between 12 and 65 years of age. Data analyses included examination of descriptive statistics, outliers, and normal distribution (skewness-kurtosis), as well as exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (EFA and CFA respectively), Cronbach alpha and “split-half” for internal consistency and reliability, and Average Variance Extracted (AVE) and Composite Reliability (CR) for convergent and discriminant validity. A single factor model with 8 items from the HQ-25 was formed. Results demonstrated adequate psychometric properties for a single factor structure of an 8-item version of the Hikikomori Questionnaire (HQ-8). This study provides preliminary evidence of the reliability and validity of a brief version of the Hikikomori Questionnaire (HQ-8) in a sample of adults in Türkiye.