Prevalence and Influencing Factors of Body-focused Repetitive Behaviors in Turkish Medical Students

Year 2024, , 681 - 689, 31.10.2024

Şükrü Alperen Korkmaz

https://doi.org/10.54005/geneltip.1505724

Abstract

Background/Aims: Body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) such as skin-picking, trichotillomania, nail-picking, nail-biting, lip-biting and skin-biting have adverse physical and psychological effects. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of BFRBs in a sample of Turkish medical students.
Methods: An online survey was used to investigate the prevalence of six BFRBs —skin-picking, trichotillomania, nail-biting, nail-picking, lip-biting and skin-biting-- and psychological factors such as anxiety, depression, stress levels, impulsivity and difficulties in emotional regulation (DER) in a sample of 200 medical students. Skin Picking Scale-Revised (SPS-R), Massachusetts General Hospital Hairpulling Scale (MGH-HPS), Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale–Short Form and Difficulty in Emotion Regulation Scale—Brief Form and specific questions for four BFRBs (nail-picking, nail-biting, lip biting and skin biting) were administered.
Results: The prevalence of at least one BFRB disorder was 28.0% (n=56). The most common diagnoses were skin-picking (17.0%) and trichotillomania (10.5%), followed by skin-picking (9.0%), lip biting (8.5%), nail-picking (7%) and nail-biting (5.0%). The gender difference was found only in skin-picking disorders (females=22.9%; males=8.5%). Students with BFRB disorder (n=56) were found to have higher levels of anxiety, depression, stress, impulsivity and DER. Students in 2nd, 3rd and 5th grade are more likely to have BFRB disorders than interns. DER was a partial mediating variable between impulsivity and the presence of BFRB disorder.
Conclusions: The findings of the study suggest that BFRBs are common among medical students and that these behaviors are associated with psychological factors such as depression, anxiety, stress levels, impulsivity and difficulties in emotion regulation. Screening programs and intervention strategies for BFRBs in medical students should be developed, and it is recommended that psychological factors should be considered in these interventions, emotion regulation and stress management skills should be significantly improved, and comorbid depression and anxiety should be treated.

Keywords

BFRBs, university student, prevalence, co-morbidity, skin picking, trichotillomania, impulsivity

Ethical Statement

The study protocol was approved by the Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University Faculty of Medicine NonInterventional Clinical Research Ethics Committee (protocol number: 24/03-14, 08.05.2024).

Tıp Fakültesinde Okuyan Türk Öğrencilerde Beden-Odaklı Tekrarlayıcı Davranışların Yaygınlığı ve Etkileyen Faktörler

Abstract

Amaç: Deri yolma, trikotillomani, tırnak yeme, tırnak yolma, dudak ısırma ve deri yeme gibi beden odaklı tekrarlayıcı davranışların (BOTD) olumsuz fiziksel ve psikolojik etkileri vardır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, tıp fakültesi öğrencilerinde BOTD’lerin yaygınlığını ve ilişkili faktörleri araştırmaktır.
Gereç ve Yöntem: Altı farklı BOTD’nin (deri yolma, trikotillomani, tırnak yeme, tırnak yolma, dudak ısırma ve deri ısırma) yaygınlığını ve anksiyete, depresyon, stres düzeyleri, dürtüsellik ve duygu düzenleme güçlükleri gibi psikolojik faktörleri, 200 tıp öğrencisinden oluşan bir örneklemde araştırmak için çevrimiçi bir anket kullanılmıştır. Deri Yolma Ölçeği, Massachusetts Genel Hastanesi Saç/Kıl Yolma Ölçeği, Depresyon Anksiyete Stres Ölçeği (DASS-21), Barratt Dürtüsellik Ölçeği-Kısa Form ve Duygu Düzenleme Güçlüğü Ölçeği-Kısa Formu uygulanmış ve dört BOTD (tırnak yeme, tırnak yeme, dudak ısırma ve deri ısırma) spesifik sorularla araştırılmıştır.
Bulgular: En az bir BOTD bozukluğunun yaygınlığı %28,0 (n=56) idi. En yaygın tanılar deri yolma (%17,0) ve trikotillomani (%10,5) olup, bunları deri ısırma (%9,0), dudak ısırma (%8,5), tırnak yeme (%7) ve tırnak yolma (%5,0) takip etmiştir. Cinsiyet farkı sadece deri yolma bozukluğunda saptanmıştır (kadın=%22,9; erkek=%8,5). BOTD bozukluğu olan öğrencilerin anksiyete, depresyon, stres, dürtüsellik ve duygu düzenleme güçlüğü düzeyleri daha yüksek bulunmuştur. 2., 3. ve 5. sınıf öğrencilerinde BOTD bozukluğu görülme olasılığı intörnlere göre daha yüksektir. Aracılık modeli, DER’in dürtüsellik ile BFRB bozukluğunun varlığı arasındaki ilişkiye kısmen aracılık ettiğini göstermiştir.
Sonuç: Çalışmanın bulguları, BOTD’lerin tıp öğrencileri arasında yaygın olduğunu ve bu davranışların depresyon, anksiyete, stres düzeyleri, dürtüsellik ve duygu düzenleme güçlükleri gibi psikolojik faktörlerle ilişkili olduğunu göstermektedir. Tıp öğrencilerinde BOTD’lere yönelik tarama programları ve müdahale stratejileri geliştirilmeli ve bu müdahalelerde psikolojik faktörlerin dikkate alınması, duygu düzenleme ve stres yönetimi becerilerinin önemli ölçüde geliştirilmesi ve eşlik eden depresyon ve anksiyetenin tedavi edilmesi önerilir.

Keywords

BOTD, Üniversite öğrencisi, Yaygınlık, Eş hastalık, Deri yolma, Trikotillomani, Dürtüsellik, Duygu düzenleme

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