Estimating the prevalence and characteristics of people in severe social isolation in 29 European countries : a secondary analysis of data from the European Social Survey round 9 (2018–2020)

Amendola, Simone; Cerutti, Rita; von Wyl, Agnes

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0291341

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-29242

Publication type:	Article in scientific journal
Type of review:	Peer review (publication)
Title:	Estimating the prevalence and characteristics of people in severe social isolation in 29 European countries : a secondary analysis of data from the European Social Survey round 9 (2018–2020)
Authors:	Amendola, Simone Cerutti, Rita von Wyl, Agnes
et. al:	No
DOI:	10.1371/journal.pone.0291341 10.21256/zhaw-29242
Published in:	PLOS ONE
Volume(Issue):	18
Issue:	9
Page(s):	e0291341
Issue Date:	12-Sep-2023
Publisher / Ed. Institution:	Public Library of Science
ISSN:	1932-6203
Language:	English
Subjects:	Europe; Emotion; Medical risk factor; Social anxiety disorder; Happiness; Mental health; Psychiatry; Personality disorder; Salary
Subject (DDC):	616.89: Mental disorders, clinical psychology and psychiatry
Abstract:	The main aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of people in severe social isolation as a proxy for high risk of hikikomori using data from 29 European countries. The relationship between the presence/absence of severe social isolation and demographic and psychosocial variables was also investigated. Publicly available data from the European Social Survey (ESS) round 9 collected between August 2018 and January 2020 were used. Data from the ESS round 1 (September 2002 –December 2003) and round 10 (September 2020 –May 2022) were also examined to investigate changes in the prevalence of severe social isolation over time. Analyses were restricted to the working-age population (15–64 years). A complex sampling design to obtain weighted prevalence and results was used. The study protocol was preregistered online on the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/6a7br/). The weighted prevalence of severe social isolation was 2.01% for the sample from the ESS 1, 1.77% for the sample from the ESS 9, and 1.71% for the sample from the ESS 10, indicating a decrease over time, mainly in males. Logistic regression models showed that different sociodemographic factors (e.g., being retired, being permanently sick or disabled, doing housework, living in Central and Eastern Europe, living uncomfortably on household income, having no income) were associated with severe social isolation. Further, feeling unsafe when walking alone in the neighbourhood after dark, low social trust, and support, decreased happiness and lack of future planning correlated with severe social isolation after adjustment for the effect of sociodemographic factors was made. In this study, the prevalence of severe social isolation as a proxy for hikikomori in European countries is in line with that found by previous representative studies conducted in Asian countries. The novelty of the findings as well as implications for hikikomori research are discussed according to recent scientific literature.
URI:	https://digitalcollection.zhaw.ch/handle/11475/29242
Fulltext version:	Published version
License (according to publishing contract):	CC BY 4.0: Attribution 4.0 International
Departement:	Applied Psychology
Organisational Unit:	Psychological Institute (PI)
Appears in collections:	Publikationen Angewandte Psychologie

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Amendola, S., Cerutti, R., & von Wyl, A. (2023). Estimating the prevalence and characteristics of people in severe social isolation in 29 European countries : a secondary analysis of data from the European Social Survey round 9 (2018–2020). Plos One, 18(9), e0291341. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291341

Amendola, S., Cerutti, R. and von Wyl, A. (2023) ‘Estimating the prevalence and characteristics of people in severe social isolation in 29 European countries : a secondary analysis of data from the European Social Survey round 9 (2018–2020)’, PLOS ONE, 18(9), p. e0291341. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291341.

S. Amendola, R. Cerutti, and A. von Wyl, “Estimating the prevalence and characteristics of people in severe social isolation in 29 European countries : a secondary analysis of data from the European Social Survey round 9 (2018–2020),” PLOS ONE, vol. 18, no. 9, p. e0291341, Sep. 2023, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0291341.

AMENDOLA, Simone, Rita CERUTTI und Agnes VON WYL, 2023. Estimating the prevalence and characteristics of people in severe social isolation in 29 European countries : a secondary analysis of data from the European Social Survey round 9 (2018–2020). PLOS ONE. 12 September 2023. Bd. 18, Nr. 9, S. e0291341. DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0291341

Amendola, Simone, Rita Cerutti, and Agnes von Wyl. 2023. “Estimating the Prevalence and Characteristics of People in Severe Social Isolation in 29 European Countries : A Secondary Analysis of Data from the European Social Survey Round 9 (2018–2020).” Plos One 18 (9): e0291341. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291341.

Amendola, Simone, et al. “Estimating the Prevalence and Characteristics of People in Severe Social Isolation in 29 European Countries : A Secondary Analysis of Data from the European Social Survey Round 9 (2018–2020).” Plos One, vol. 18, no. 9, Sept. 2023, p. e0291341, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291341.