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Nervous habits and stereotyped behaviors in preschool children

L G Foster1

  • 1Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Maryland at Baltimore 21201-1549, USA.

Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
|July 17, 1998
PubMed

Insights

Nervous habits like thumb-sucking and nail-biting are common in preschoolers. These behaviors often occur during structured times and are linked to negative moods, decreasing with age.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Child Behavior Studies

Background:

  • Nervous habits and motor stereotypies are frequently observed in children.
  • Understanding their prevalence and triggers in preschool-aged children is crucial for developmental insights.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the frequency, age-related trends, and situational factors of nervous habits and motor stereotypies in typically developing preschoolers.
  • To differentiate between parent and teacher reporting of these behaviors.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized semistructured interviews with 100 teachers and 32 parents of children aged 3 to 6 years.
  • Collected data on the occurrence and context of behaviors such as nail-biting, thumb-sucking, and body-rocking.

Main Results:

  • Parents reported higher frequencies of nervous habits, with thumb-sucking (25%) and nail-biting (23%) being most common.
  • Motor stereotypies were reported less frequently (3-4%). Nervous habits decreased with age and were associated with structured times and negative moods.
  • Teachers noted a decline in habits like sore-picking with age and indicated girls were more prone to nervous habits than boys.

Conclusions:

  • Nervous habits and stereotypies are common in typically developing preschoolers.
  • These behaviors appear to be indicators of a child's emotional state, particularly in relation to mood.
Abstract

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