Just like adults, children can adopt the unhealthy habit of gnawing fingers and nails, especially in times of high stress or boredom. Indeed, it is a behavioral disorder that tends to characterize children and adolescents.
Infantile onychophagy is often caused by uneventful family situations in which quarrels and conflicts are constant. And again, it is a disorder that can occur in conjunction with situations that radically change the daily life of children: it is the case of the arrival of a little brother or sister, the separation of parents, a move, the change of school, a bullying problem …
Parents’ excessive expectations of their child are also a source of anxiety and exaggerated sense of competition.
Whatever the original source, the problem appears when the child feels sad, disappointed or angry.
Since onychophagy can then continue into adulthood, it is good that parents, educators and teachers are careful to observe the presence of the disorder in adolescents and children. The aim is to take the situation in hand in time and try to understand the underlying reasons , in order to solve the fundamental problem and avoiding that the unhealthy habit degenerates and continues over the years.