Psychometric properties of the Hikikomori Risk Inventory (HRI-24)in Turkish Pre-adolescents and Adolescents

Abstract

Objective: Hikikomori, a severe social withdrawal condition, has become increasingly important in Western societies. The HRI-24 is a new tool for assessing Hikikomori risk in Eastern and Western samples with good psychometric properties. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the HRI-24 in pre-adolescents and adolescents. Method: We recruited 600 pre-adolescents and adolescents (clinic sample = 265, community sample = 335) aged between 12 and 18 years. They filled the HRI-24, the Brief Sensation Seeking Scale (BSSS-4), and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Results: Confirmatory factor analysis supported the five-factor model of the HRI-24 Turkish version. Moreover, the reliability analysis showed good internal consistency values for all the subscales and the total score. Finally, the HRI-24 total score was negatively and significantly correlated with BSSS-4 but positively and significantly correlated with SDQ, showing good convergent and divergent validity. Conclusions: The HRI-24 scale is valid for screening Hikikomori risk in Turkish pre-adolescents and adolescents in both clinical and community samples. In addition, we provided first data about the Hikikomori profile of Turkish adolescents. Finally, this study also supported the cross-cultural validity of the Hikikomori construct and HRI-24.