Impact of a Healthy Nails Program on Nail-Biting in Turkish Schoolchildren

Abstract

This study was conducted to examine the effect of a healthy nails program on nail-biting in Turkish schoolchildren. This quasi-experimental study was of pretest-posttest control group design. A total of 50 students of a primary school formed the intervention group, while 53 students from the same school formed the control group. Data were collected with a demographic form, a nail-biting follow-up form, and photographs of the fingernails. It was found that 68.9% of students were biting seven or more of their nails; 46.6% had damaged nail beds. In the intervention group, the rate of the children who were not biting their nails (baseline = 0%, 4th week = 56.0%, 8th week = 64.0%) increased significantly compared to the control group (baseline = 0%, 4th week = 15.1%, 8th week = 18.9%). Outcomes indicate the efficacy of the healthy nails program in reducing the nail-biting problem in schoolchildren.

The effectiveness of a nail‐biting prevention program among primary school students

“…The literature indicates that there are limited number of interventional studies on changing the nail‐biting habit (Ergun et al., ). In many studies, the case is included following the application in the clinic (Ghanizadeh, ; Ghanizadeh, Bazrafshan, Firoozabadi, & Dehbozorgi, ; Koritzky & Yechiam, ; Moritz et al., ; Tanaka et al., ).…”

“…Studies show that the nail‐biting habit starts at the age of 3 or 4, worsens at the age of 5 or 6 and in adolescence, and diminishes after the age of 18 (Ghanizadeh, ; Pacan, Reich, Grzesiak, & Szepıetowskı, ; Tanaka et al., ). International literature reports that the prevalence of nail‐biting ranges between 25.5% and 36% among children (Ghanizadeh, ; Pacan et al., ) while it ranges between 12.9% and 68.9% in the national literature (Ergun, Toprak, & Sisman, ; Sisman, Tok, & Ergun, ; Yıldırım, Bayram, Patır, Yalçın, & Seymen, ). However, nail‐biting seems to be ignored in daily clinical practices.…”

“…Thus, relevant factors should be examined and the problem should be prevented before it becomes worse. There are only a limited number of interventional studies intended to change this habit (Ellington, ; Ergun et al., ; Ghanizadeh, ).…”

Evidence-Based Psychosocial Treatments for Pediatric Body-Focused Repetitive Behavior Disorders

“…In evaluating the evidentiary support for behavioral and cognitive-behavioral treatments for pediatric nail biting, one quasi-experimental study meeting three of five methodological criteria demonstrated positive effects of multisystemic CBT versus waitlist control (Ergun et al, 2013). Two studies demonstrated positive effects of individual behavior therapy versus waitlist control (Nunn & Azrin, 1976;, but the aforementioned methodological limitations prevent them from contributing largely to the pediatric nail biting evidence base.…”

“…Ergun, Toprak, and Sisman (2013) evaluated a ''healthy nails'' program in 103 third-grade Turkish schoolchildren, which through examination of therapeutic methods, appears to be a multicomponent (individual, family, school) version of CBT. In a quasi-experimental design using a clinician-rated measure and independently rated photographs of nail beds, treated children showed significant nail picking remission (56%) and improvements in nail bed hygiene as compared to those in the waitlist control group.…”