Risk Factors Associated with Hikikomori in Adolescents after the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic is a factor with psychopathogenic potential that brought about changes in human behavior, and psychological disorders that affect mental health. Objective: Determine risk factors associated with hikikomori in adolescents after the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out from November to December 2022, in a public educational institution in Ica, Peru. The sample consisted of 581 adolescents; general variables were studied, and the risk of suffering from hikikomori was assessed with the hikikomori questionnaire (HQ-25). A descriptive and multivariate statistical analysis was applied using generalized linear models of the Poisson family to evaluate the association among variables. Results: Of the female participants, 48.5% were found to be at risk of suffering from hikikomori. The feelings of sadness, anxiety or depression experienced by adolescent girls were associated with a greater risk of presenting this disorder (RPa = 1.29: 95 % CI: 1.07-1.58); feelings of shame (RPa = 1.42: 95 % CI: 1.19-1.68), as well as feelings of being rejected by society (RPa = 1.36: 95 % CI: 1.14-1.62), and preferring compulsory isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic (RPa = 1.18: 95 % CI: 0.99-1.42). Likewise, the condition of having had COVID-19 was associated with a lower risk (RPa = 0.77: 95% CI: 0.65-0.92).Conclusions: The proportion of adolescents at risk of hikikomori is high; there are general variables capable of being modified that could lower the risk of this disorder induced or enhanced by the COVID-19 pandemic.