In this article, we are going to take a deep dive to uncover the psychology and nail anatomy behind nail biting to give you some insights on the best ways to overcome this painful, destructive and frustrating habit.
Since nail biting not discussed in my nail bible—Doug Schoon’s book (Nail Structure and Product Chemistry)— I needed to dust off my research skills from high school and college.
I poured through articles from PubMed, NCBI, Wikipedia, Iranian Journal of Medical Sciences, Brazilian Oral Research, Psychology Research and Behavior Management, Contemporary Clinical Dentistry, Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience and many others.
Onychophagia (nail Biting)
All habits have consequences or results. Whether the consequence is good or bad, it’s up to us to continually decide which result we want.
This for those of you who just want the gist of the research. Just look for the sections titled “Ana’s Interpretation” with my photo.
Introduction Onychophagia (AH-nih-koe-FAY-gia) , defined as habitual nail biting, is a common disorder affecting 20-30% of the population and all age groups. It may lead to significant psychosocial problems, have a negative impact on quality of life, and cause complications involving both the nail unit and the oral cavity…Since onychophagia is a challenging disorder to treat, a multidisciplinary approach should be taken involving dermatologists, internists, pediatricians, psychiatrists, and dentists. ~PubMed Ana’s Interpretation
Fixation: Definition, Development, Examples, And Treatment
The many causes for nail biting include stress, boredom, anxiety, depression, loneliness, heredity, imitation of a family member, prior thumb-sucking habit, inactivity, and poorly manicured nails.
You’ll see in the rest of this article that many of the negative attempts to help others don’t work. Punishment, nagging and threats, ridicule, and application of bitter tasting solutions really don’t work.
Some Medical Definitions for Nail Biting Definition The operational definition of NB is “putting one or more fingers in the mouth and biting on the nail with teeth”. 3 The habit of NB is often limited to fingernails, and most of the individuals with the habit do not have any preference for biting any of the fingernails. 4 This behavioral problem has been reported in children and adults. Classification Nail biting (NB) is not a pathological condition in all times and all clients. However, it is not exactly clear where the border between the healthy and unhealthy behavior of NB is. Nail biting in healthy children is temporary and does not last very long. The frequency, intensity, and duration of pathological NB are higher than those in normal individuals. Uncertainties for the distinction of pathological and nonpathological NB are also reflected in the classification of psychiatric disorders. While some behavioral problems such as trichotillomania (hair pulling) are classified as an impulse control disorder in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), NB is not classified in DSM-IV.6 Nail biting can also be classified as a self-injurious behavior such as pathological skin-picking or as a stereotypic movement disorder.5 Others believe that NB is a part of obsessive compulsive disorder spectrum.6 Ana’s Interpretation:
Chapter Two Research In Psychology
While some of the mental disorders are commonly known as depression and anxiety—nail biting can be a symptom of ADHD, OCD, ODD, and a host of other mental disorders.
Is Nail Biting Age Related? Nail biting usually does not start until the age of three or four years. 7 There are contradictory reports about the prevalence of NB. The prevalence of NB increases from childhood to adolescence and then decreases in adulthood. 7 It is not clear what percentage of the children with NB behavior stops it, and will not suffer from it later. Nail biting was not related to gender, conduct problems, inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and peer problems. Ana’s Interpretation:
Usually, nail biting starts during childhood and is outgrown. For some people though, the behavior continues into adulthood. It’s really not understood why.
Target Behaviors: 15 Examples & Definition (psychology) (2023)
It seems that most of the studies have been done with children. I’m not sure why. Perhaps it’s because it’s easier to gather data from them quickly. It’s also possible that children don’t have the additional work and relationship stress factors that adults have.
Humm… Even though it’s been over 25 years since I attended high school, I’m pretty sure that it’s still riddled with cliques and peer problems.
Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the patterns, causes, and effects of health and disease conditions in defined populations. It is the cornerstone of public health and shapes policy decisions and evidence-based practice by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive health care. [Source: Wikipedia]
Body Focused Repetitive Behavior Problems
Connection between TMJ Disorder and Nail Biting The rate of finger and nail biting in patients suffering temporomandibular joint pain and dysfunction was about 24.1%. 8 Therefore, it is recommended to inquire about oral habits such as NB in all temporomandibular joint pain and dysfunction. Moreover, patients with temporomandibular joint pain and dysfunction should be consulted as part of their management. 8 Ana’s Interpretation:
My jaw would lock shut or painfully pop while eating. I once dated someone who said I was a dainty eater. I had to take small bites because I could barely open my mouth!
E. Coli and Nail Biting Oral habits like thumb sucking and nail biting are pernicious habits that act as an adaptive function in obtaining pleasure and subduing anxiety. These habits may also act as carriers of numerous microorganisms into the oral cavity, of which, Enterobacteriaceae members are transient pathogens, which might result in debilitating systemic conditions.10 The Enterobacteria species isolated in our study were E. coli, Klebsiella, Proteus, and Enterobacter. Of these, the most commonly isolated Enterobacteria among all three groups was E. coli (in 12 subjects), whereas the least isolated Enterobacteria was enterobacter (3 subjects). Our results are consistent with the results of Baydas et al. and Sushma et al.9 who showed a greater isolation of E. coli. Other organisms such as streptococci, staphylococci, pseudomonas, and candida were also seen along with Enterobacteria. Literature revealed that environmental organisms can be inoculated into the oral cavity through paranormal habits like nail biting resulting in transmission of infections to other parts of the body, by contaminated hands or environmental objects, which may be responsible for the cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide.9 This indicates the greater prevalence of E. coli in humans among different population groups. Studies by earlier authors reported that E. coli were the most frequently isolated organism among Enterobacteriaceae family in different systemic illnesses. With these data, it can be suggested that E. coli gets a channel of entry into the oral cavity through the chronic nail biting and thumb sucking habits and can be a perpetrator of local and systemic infections.10 Ana’s Interpretation
Aac Implementation: Adults With Dd
The most common bacteria found is E. coli in research studies, but other organisms like strep, staph, pseudomonas, and candida were also found.
Unfortunately, bacteria don’t always die in the mouth. It can spread to your internal organs. Infections can lead to diseases and even death.
Nail Biting and E. Coli in Your Mouth The Research Says: The presence of a nail biting habit indicated a higher plaque index, which in turn showed a higher carriage of Enterobacteria spps, predominantly Escherichia coli. Accumulating evidence suggests the impact of the dental diseases on the general health of the individual, warranting a harmonious relation of the microorganisms with that of the oral tissues, albeit any shift in this balanced ecology would unfold a series of events that might result in a disease status.10 Ana’s Interpretation:
Applied Behavior Analysis And The Treatment Of Nail Biting
People who bite their nails tend to have more plaque on their teeth, which makes a nice environment for E. coli to flourish.
Etiological Factors: The Contributing Causes of Nail Biting (Etiology: the study of causation, or origination.) The Research Says: There are a lot of controversies about the causes of NB. While some studies related NB to behavioral problems, 14 and anxiety, 15, 16 others did not believe so. 17, 18 Anxiety in children with NB is not a trait; it is a state.19 Although it was suggested that NB might reduce anxiety or tension, 16 recent studies do not support the anxiety theory for NB. 1, 20 Nail biting usually occurs as a result of boredom or working on difficult problems rather than anxiety. Nail biters do not bite their nail when they are engaged in social interactions, or when they are reprimanded for the behavior. 20 Nail biting occurs more often in boredom or frustration than in contingent or noncontingent attention in undergraduate students. 20 It is suspected that smoking and gum chewing in adults are substitutes for NB in childhood. 7 Severe and mild NB appear to have some differences in terms of the basis of physical and social consequences, severity, frequency, and physiological mechanisms. 21 Ana’s Interpretation:
I’ve interviewed a lot of people who said that anxiety is one of the main reasons causing them to bite their nails.
Experimental Psychology Validity (11)
The research I reviewed indicated that people who were childhood biters who picked up smoking or chronic gum chewing were less likely to continue with nail biting.
Definition of comorbidity: In medicine, comorbidity is the presence of one or more additional diseases or disorders occurring with (that is, concomitant or concurrent with) a primary disease or disorder; in the countable sense of the
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