Date of Award
5-1-2025
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Lee, Eric
Abstract
Body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) are a class of behaviors including problematic hair pulling, skin picking, nail biting, and lip and mouth chewing (American Psychiatric Association & American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Researchers in the past have used nomothetic methods to study internal experiences and develop behavioral interventions; however, little research has examined how BFRBs manifest at the individual level and how individuals may differ from the group average (e.g., Algeria & Ikhlef, 2021). The current study utilized idiographic observational methods to investigate the internal cognitive and emotional processes and functioning of individuals with BFRBs. Five women participants with BFRBs of varying severities participated in the study. Data was collected multiple times per day over the course of two weeks. Contemporaneous network analysis was conducted for each individual which examined the role picking/pulling had on functioning and internal states. Centrality indices were calculated to determine the most relevant nodes in the network architecture. The results of this study indicate the unique variability of individuals with BFRBs and the mechanisms maintaining pathology, thus giving support for the individualization of assessment and treatment of BFRBs.
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