Research Summary written by:
Jennifer Jacobson, PharmD, BFRB Changemakers Volunteer
Study Title:
Prevalence, gender correlates, and co-morbidity of trichotillomania.
Why Was This Study Done?
Researchers wanted to answer these questions about hair-pulling disorder in the United States:
How Was This Study Done?
- A total of 10,169 adult (18 to 69-year-old) US participants completed an online survey about their mental health and personal information.
What Were the Results?
Q1: How common is hair-pulling disorder, both overall and in different groups of people?
- Hair-pulling disorder was common, as 1.7% of participants had the disorder during the study.
- Overall rates of hair-pulling disorder were similar across gender, income level, education level, and ethnicity. However, rates were higher in 18 to 29-year-old female participants (2.6%) and 18 to 49-year-old male participants (2.5% to 2.6%).
Q2: How do characteristics of hair-pulling disorder differ across gender?
- Compared to male participants, female participants:
- developed hair-pulling earlier, on average (15 vs 19 years old);
- had higher rates of severe distress (42% vs 18%); and
- had higher rates of major effects on daily life (32% vs 12%).
Q3: What other mental health conditions commonly occur in people with hair-pulling disorder?
- Other mental health conditions were common, as 79% of participants with hair-pulling disorder had at least one other mental health condition. Anxiety and depression were the most common disorders, occurring in 55% and 43% of participants with hair-pulling disorder, respectively.
Q4: How do hair-pulling disorder and these other mental health conditions affect daily life?
- On average, participants had moderate to severe distress from hair-pulling. Some participants reported that their hair-pulling was more bothersome than their other mental health conditions.
Why Is This Study Important?
- This was the first study that assessed trends in hair-pulling disorder across the general US population. Results from this study can improve general understanding and awareness about this disorder.
Citation: Grant JE, Dougherty DD, Chamberlain SR. Prevalence, gender correlates, and co-morbidity of trichotillomania. Psychiatry Res. 2020;288:112948. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112948
Additional Resources:
You can read the free, full original article on PubMed Central or ScienceDirect.
