The unique roles of affect and impulsivity in the prediction of skin picking severity

Previous research has consistently shown that skin picking severity is related to levels of impulsivity, thus justifying the classification of Skin Picking Disorder (SPD) as an Impulsive Control Disorder. However, the American Psychiatric Association has proposed that SPD be categorized as an obsessive–compulsive and related disorder (OCRD). This decision is supported by a mixed body of data, which shows that SPD might be related to symptoms of negative affectivity (e.g., anxiety and depression) and compulsivity. To date, no study has simultaneously tested the relations between impulsivity, negative affectivity, and skin picking; therefore the unique associations between these constructs in still unknown. The present study tested the degree to which skin picking severity is related to specific components of impulsivity and negative affectivity. Results indicated that skin picking severity was significantly related to cognitive impulsivity and was not uniquely related to any other components of impulsivity or any components of negative affectivity. Moreover, this effect was restricted to participants who endorsed self-injurious skin picking. These results support the categorization of SPD as an Impulsive Control Disorder, but fail to support the categorization of SPD as an OCRD. Limitation and future directions are discussed.

► The present study shows that skin picking and cognitive impulsivity are highly related.
► This effect is constrained to self-injurious skin pickers.
► Non-significant relations between skin picking and negative affectivity were found.
► These data support the classification of skin picking as an ICD.