Habits with potential as disorders. Prevalence, severity, and other characteristics among college students.
Nail biting and similar habits are nearly universal in college students, so measure severity and triggers before you treat.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team asked college students about everyday habits like nail biting and hair pulling. They wanted to know how many students do these things and how intense the habits feel.
No one was treated. The survey only counted and described the habits.
What they found
Almost every student admitted to at least one ‘nervous habit.’ The habits ranged from mild to strong, showing that normal behavior and possible problems sit on the same scale.
The paper gives a baseline list you can use when you screen adults.
How this fits with other research
McGrother et al. (1996) took the next step. They proved these habits are not random: hair or face touching jumps when people feel anxious, while object fiddling rises when they are bored. Their lab work extends the 1990 survey by showing why the habits happen.
Sprague et al. (1984) used the same ‘catalog first’ idea in elementary schools. They listed six classroom behaviors that separate well-adjusted from struggling K-5 students. Both papers give you a ready-made target list before you plan an intervention.
McCavert et al. (2026) and Baker et al. (2025) echo the message in very different groups. They found high rates of sleep problems in children with cerebral palsy and rare genetic disorders, arguing for routine screening just like the 1990 paper does for habits.
Why it matters
If you work with teens or adults, treat nail biting or skin picking as normal until the behavior is intense or causes harm. Use the survey list to ask about severity, then probe triggers like anxiety or boredom shown in McGrother et al. (1996). This quick screen keeps you from pathologizing everyday habits while still catching the ones that need help.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Add two quick questions to your intake: 'How strong is the habit on a 1-5 scale?' and 'When does it happen most—stress or boredom?'
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Little is known about the prevalence of the various habit disorders-such as pulling out one's hair, biting fingernails, or grinding teeth--and even less is known about the prevalence of lesser habits which, if exacerbated, may be costly enough to an individual to be labeled a disorder. Such superficially "purposeless" behaviors provided the focus of the present investigation. An initial group of 142 college students completed a pilot questionnaire to identify habits to be included in a survey. The final questionnaire was then administered to 286 college students. It asked about "purposeless habits," defined as those "repeated actions that appear to serve no useful purpose but that we continue to engage in anyway." Behaviors included habits involving the mouth, face, neck, fingers, hands, legs, hair, body, clothing, and objects. In addition to assessing the nature and severity of problems caused by each habit, the stimulus conditions influencing its probability, related behaviors, and attempts to stop the habit were assessed. The kinds of behaviors that could become habit disorders were found to be quite common. Clinical and theoretical implications of the results are discussed.
Behavior modification, 1990 · doi:10.1177/01454455900141005