Body Focused Repetitive Behaviours: A Systematic Review of Prevalence Emotion Regulation and Interventions
Abstract: Nail biting, lip biting, skin biting and skin picking differ in how they are defined, measured and treated. This systematic review examined their prevalence, emotional processes, impairment and behavioural interventions. Five Europe PMC searches on 11 October 2026 covered English-language, open-access MEDLINE/PubMed records published through 30 April 2026. The searches yielded 390 record appearances and 325 unique records. Of 177 retrieved full texts, 111 initially met broad criteria; a disclosed post hoc refinement retained 45 empirical reports. Seven background sources were considered separately. A repeat search on 20 October reproduced the retrieval totals and located all 45 included reports. Narrative synthesis showed that prevalence depended strongly on sampling and diagnostic thresholds. Emotional difficulties, sensory cues and automaticity were associated with skin picking, although findings did not support a single causal explanation. Controlled behavioural interventions showed benefits in particular nail-biting, skin-picking and mixed-behaviour samples. Evidence specific to lip biting and skin biting remained largely descriptive. Single-source retrieval, access restrictions, post hoc selection and AI-assisted assessment without independent duplicate review limit the conclusions. No new meta-analysis was undertaken.
Keywords: body-focused repetitive behaviours, skin picking, nail biting, emotion regulation, habit reversal training
How to Cite?: Chiranjeevi Karthik Kuruganti, "Body Focused Repetitive Behaviours: A Systematic Review of Prevalence Emotion Regulation and Interventions", Volume 15 Issue 10, October 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 1326-1332, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR261020164434, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR261020164434