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Body-dysmorphic, hoarding, hair-pulling, and skin-picking symptoms in a large sample of adolescents

Moreno-Amador, Beatriz ; Cervin, Matti LU ; Falcó, Raquel ; Marzo, Juan C. and Piqueras, José Antonio (2023) In Current Psychology 42(28). p.24542-24553
Abstract

Few studies have investigated body-dysmorphic, hoarding, hair-pulling, and skin-picking symptoms in adolescents and how they relate to mental health, quality of life, suicide attempts, and non-suicidal self-harm. We used a quota sampling procedure and contacted 100 secondary centres in the Southeast of Spain, of which 34 participated in the study. A sample of 5,345 adolescents (12–18 years) completed dimensional measures of body-dysmorphic, hoarding, hair-pulling, and skin-picking symptoms. The proportion of adolescents with clinically significant symptoms within each symptom type was estimated and associations with other indicators of mental health examined. Clinically significant body-dysmorphic symptoms were reported by 3.7%,... (More)

Few studies have investigated body-dysmorphic, hoarding, hair-pulling, and skin-picking symptoms in adolescents and how they relate to mental health, quality of life, suicide attempts, and non-suicidal self-harm. We used a quota sampling procedure and contacted 100 secondary centres in the Southeast of Spain, of which 34 participated in the study. A sample of 5,345 adolescents (12–18 years) completed dimensional measures of body-dysmorphic, hoarding, hair-pulling, and skin-picking symptoms. The proportion of adolescents with clinically significant symptoms within each symptom type was estimated and associations with other indicators of mental health examined. Clinically significant body-dysmorphic symptoms were reported by 3.7%, hoarding by 0.9%, hair-pulling by 0.7%, and skin-picking by 1.8%. Body-dysmorphic symptoms were more common in girls and in those over 14 years of age. Body-dysmorphic, hoarding, hair-pulling, and skin-picking symptoms were moderately to strongly associated with obsessive-compulsive symptoms, internalizing symptoms, externalizing symptoms, and poor quality of life. Those with significant body-dysmorphic, hoarding, hair-pulling, and skin-picking symptoms were much more likely to have attempted suicide and engaged in non-suicidal self-harm during the last twelve months than those without such symptoms. Body-dysmorphic symptoms showed the strongest associations with internalizing symptoms and poor quality of life. Limitations are the sole use of self-report and a sample from only two regions in Spain, but findings suggest that body-dysmorphic, hoarding, hair-pulling, and skin-picking symptoms are common and impairing during adolescence.

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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Adolescents, Body-dysmorphic, Hair-pulling, Hoarding, Obsessive-compulsive, Skin-picking
in
Current Psychology
volume
42
issue
28
pages
24542 - 24553
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • scopus:85135719564
ISSN
1046-1310
DOI
10.1007/s12144-022-03477-1
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
29cbc466-a668-4803-bc95-e0f3492d7d35
date added to LUP
2022-09-20 15:38:52
date last changed
2023-10-26 14:57:34
@article{29cbc466-a668-4803-bc95-e0f3492d7d35,
  abstract     = {{<p>Few studies have investigated body-dysmorphic, hoarding, hair-pulling, and skin-picking symptoms in adolescents and how they relate to mental health, quality of life, suicide attempts, and non-suicidal self-harm. We used a quota sampling procedure and contacted 100 secondary centres in the Southeast of Spain, of which 34 participated in the study. A sample of 5,345 adolescents (12–18 years) completed dimensional measures of body-dysmorphic, hoarding, hair-pulling, and skin-picking symptoms. The proportion of adolescents with clinically significant symptoms within each symptom type was estimated and associations with other indicators of mental health examined. Clinically significant body-dysmorphic symptoms were reported by 3.7%, hoarding by 0.9%, hair-pulling by 0.7%, and skin-picking by 1.8%. Body-dysmorphic symptoms were more common in girls and in those over 14 years of age. Body-dysmorphic, hoarding, hair-pulling, and skin-picking symptoms were moderately to strongly associated with obsessive-compulsive symptoms, internalizing symptoms, externalizing symptoms, and poor quality of life. Those with significant body-dysmorphic, hoarding, hair-pulling, and skin-picking symptoms were much more likely to have attempted suicide and engaged in non-suicidal self-harm during the last twelve months than those without such symptoms. Body-dysmorphic symptoms showed the strongest associations with internalizing symptoms and poor quality of life. Limitations are the sole use of self-report and a sample from only two regions in Spain, but findings suggest that body-dysmorphic, hoarding, hair-pulling, and skin-picking symptoms are common and impairing during adolescence.</p>}},
  author       = {{Moreno-Amador, Beatriz and Cervin, Matti and Falcó, Raquel and Marzo, Juan C. and Piqueras, José Antonio}},
  issn         = {{1046-1310}},
  keywords     = {{Adolescents; Body-dysmorphic; Hair-pulling; Hoarding; Obsessive-compulsive; Skin-picking}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{28}},
  pages        = {{24542--24553}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Current Psychology}},
  title        = {{Body-dysmorphic, hoarding, hair-pulling, and skin-picking symptoms in a large sample of adolescents}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03477-1}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s12144-022-03477-1}},
  volume       = {{42}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}