TY - JOUR
T1 - Body-focused repetitive behaviors in youth with mental health conditions
T2 - A preliminary study on their prevalence and clinical correlates
AU - La Buissonnière-Ariza, Valérie
AU - Alvaro, Jeffrey
AU - Cavitt, Mark
AU - Rudy, Brittany M.
AU - Cepeda, Sandra L.
AU - Schneider, Sophie C.
AU - McIngvale, Elizabeth
AU - Goodman, Wayne K.
AU - Storch, Eric A.
N1 - Funding Information:
Dr. La Buissonniere-Ariza has received a postdoctoral research scholarship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Dr. Schneider has received funding from the American Red Cross, and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Dr. Storch has received research funding from National Institute of Health, Red Cross, ReBuild TX, TX Higher Education Coordinating Board, Houston Community Foundation, and All Children's Hospital Research Foundation. The authors thank each family who participated. The authors also acknowledge the contributions of Dr. Adam Lewin, Brittney Dane, Morgan King, Amanda Collier, Nicole McBride, Teresa Goff, and Zachary Tidler. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) are recurrent behaviors targeting one or more body regions that may associate with negative outcomes. Little is known on their prevalence and correlates in psychiatric populations. This study examined the preliminary prevalence and correlates of BFRBs in 67 youth aged 9–17 years with primary anxiety-related disorders, mood disorders, or attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), using the Repetitive Body-focused Behavior Scale (RBBS), the Clinical Global Impressions scale, and the Behavior Assessment System for Children—2nd Edition, Behavioral & Emotional Screening System (BASC-2-BESS). Nearly half of the youth and parents reported significant child BFRBs on the RBBS. Additionally, 15% of the youth and 4.5% of the parents reported significant child distress/impairment related to BFRBs. A primary diagnosis of ADHD associated with greater parent-reported BFRB rates, number, and severity. An increased proportion of girls vs. boys presented with child-reported BFRBs and associated distress/impairment. The presence of BFRBs across the sample was associated with increased internalizing and externalizing symptom severity as measured with the BASC-2-BESS. In addition, internalizing and externalizing symptom severity positively correlated with BFRB severity. Our results suggest youth with psychiatric conditions, especially ADHD, who present with elevated symptom severity, may be particularly at-risk for concomitant BFRBs.
AB - Body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) are recurrent behaviors targeting one or more body regions that may associate with negative outcomes. Little is known on their prevalence and correlates in psychiatric populations. This study examined the preliminary prevalence and correlates of BFRBs in 67 youth aged 9–17 years with primary anxiety-related disorders, mood disorders, or attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), using the Repetitive Body-focused Behavior Scale (RBBS), the Clinical Global Impressions scale, and the Behavior Assessment System for Children—2nd Edition, Behavioral & Emotional Screening System (BASC-2-BESS). Nearly half of the youth and parents reported significant child BFRBs on the RBBS. Additionally, 15% of the youth and 4.5% of the parents reported significant child distress/impairment related to BFRBs. A primary diagnosis of ADHD associated with greater parent-reported BFRB rates, number, and severity. An increased proportion of girls vs. boys presented with child-reported BFRBs and associated distress/impairment. The presence of BFRBs across the sample was associated with increased internalizing and externalizing symptom severity as measured with the BASC-2-BESS. In addition, internalizing and externalizing symptom severity positively correlated with BFRB severity. Our results suggest youth with psychiatric conditions, especially ADHD, who present with elevated symptom severity, may be particularly at-risk for concomitant BFRBs.
KW - Hair pulling
KW - adolescents
KW - children
KW - nail biting
KW - skin picking
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U2 - 10.1080/00207411.2020.1824111
DO - 10.1080/00207411.2020.1824111
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85091408516
SN - 0020-7411
VL - 50
SP - 33
EP - 52
JO - International Journal of Mental Health
JF - International Journal of Mental Health
IS - 1
ER -