Associations of parental academic achievement pressure, support, and school climate with hikikomori tendency among high school students

TL;DR

This study shows that high parental academic pressure and poor school climate are linked to increased social withdrawal in high school students, while parental support reduces it.

Contribution

The study empirically links parental academic pressure, support, and school climate to hikikomori tendencies in high school students.

Findings

Parental academic pressure is positively associated with hikikomori tendency (r = 0.237, p < 0.01).

Parental academic support and school climate are negatively associated with hikikomori tendency (r = -0.345 and -0.262, p < 0.01).

Academic failure, grade repetition, and low socioeconomic status correlate with higher hikikomori tendency (p < 0.05).

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the associations between parental academic achievement pressure, parental academic achievement support, school climate, and hikikomori tendency among high school students.

Employing a quantitative method with a predictive correlational design, the study was conducted with a sample of 404 high school students in Istanbul during the 2023–2024 academic year. Data were collected using the Socio-Demographic Information Form, the 25-item Hikikomori Questionnaire (HQ-25), the Parents’ Academic Achievement Pressure and Support Scale, and the School Climate Questionnaire-High School Form. Correlation analyses and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed to examine the relationships among the study variables.

Correlation analyses indicated a significant positive association between hikikomori tendency and parental academic achievement pressure (r = 0.237, p < 0.01), as well as significant negative associations with parental academic achievement support (r = −0.345, p < 0.01) and school climate (r = −0.262, p < 0.01). Multiple regression analyses showed that parental academic achievement support and school climate were negatively associated with hikikomori tendency, whereas parental academic achievement pressure was positively associated. The model accounted for approximately 19% of the variance in students’ hikikomori tendency (R2 = 0.189). In addition, students who perceived themselves as academically unsuccessful, had repeated a grade, or reported low socioeconomic status exhibited significantly higher levels of hikikomori tendency (p < 0.05).

The findings indicate that family- and school-related contextual factors are meaningfully associated with adolescents’ social withdrawal tendencies. While parental academic achievement pressure is linked to higher levels of hikikomori tendency, parental academic achievement support and a positive school climate are associated with lower levels of social withdrawal. Given the cross-sectional design of the study, these findings should be interpreted as correlational rather than causal. The results provide empirical support for the development of preventive and supportive practices within educational and mental health contexts.

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