Abstract
Skin Picking Disorder (SPD) is a new diagnosis with limited information available about triggers of picking episodes. Itch can be induced via audio-visual stimuli and the effect of contagious itch is stronger for those affected by atopic dermatitis. We examined if picking-related visual stimuli can trigger the urge to pick skin in self-reported SPD. We compared itch and the urge to pick in a sample of AD and/or SPD-affected to controls without either. Urge to pick skin and/or scratch when viewing 24 itch-related, picking-related or neutral online pictures was assessed in adult females, who self-report skin-picking (SPD-only, n = 147) and/or atopic dermatitis (AD-only, n = 47; AD+SPD, n = 46) as well as in skin healthy controls (HC, n = 361). All participants reported a stronger urge to pick for picking-related pictures compared to neutral content (F[1, 597] = 533.96, p < .001, ηp2 = .472) and more itch for itch-related pictures compared to neutral stimuli (F[1, 597] = 518.73, p < .001, ηp2 = .465). SPD-all (SPD-only & AD+SPD) reported stronger urges to pick for picking-related vs. other stimuli compared to the AD-only and HC group (p < .001, ηp2 = .047). Likewise, AD-all (AD-only & AD+SPD) reported significantly stronger itching for itch-related vs. other stimuli compared to SPD-only and HC (p = .001, ηp2 = .019). Analog to visual provocation of itch, the urge to pick can be triggered by visual stimuli. Treatments for SPD and AD may profit from addressing visual stimuli.
Highlights
Skin Picking Disorder (SPD) is a new diagnosis with limited information available about triggers of picking episodes
Itch can be induced via audio-visual stimuli and the effect of contagious itch is stronger for those affected by atopic dermatitis
We investigated whether picking-related visual stimuli trigger the urge to pick in individuals affected by SPD compared to persons without SPD
Summary
In a quasi-experimental study (stimulus type [3] ☓ group [4]), data was collected online with Enterprise Feedback Suite Survey. Following the guidelines of the German Psycho‐ logical Society, all participants provided written informed consent prior to participation
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