Chew fingernails

When children chew on their nails

Children and youth therapists estimate that about ten percent of all children and adolescents in Germany suffer from the finger nag biting syndrome. Parents often prohibit their children from chewing their fingernails and threaten to sanitize the problem. It is better if parents and educators research the causes and show constructive coping strategies to the child. Because the chewing of the fingers is often an emotional valve.

Not only children and adolescents are chewing on their fingernails. Even in adults, the phenomenon can often be observed. Most people chew on the nails due to an inner restlessness or tension and are under permanent stress. Sometimes, however, it is also trivial causes such as "boredom," as the social pedagogue Gritli Bertram reports. Parents should not react to the chewing of nails with penalties and sanctions. "Rather, it is important to research the causes and to understand the children," says Bertram. Punishments, on the other hand, are "completely contraindicated, they may under some circumstances create even more stress for the person affected" and thus increase fingernail-chewing, warns the social worker from Hanover.

Chewing on the fingernails can be a result of nervousness and stress, but also have causes in early childhood. (Image: eyetronic / fotolia.com)

Fingernail chewing occurs in early childhood
The foundation for the disorder is usually laid in infancy. In the first years of life, the oral fixation (oral phase) is still very pronounced. In stress situations, some children tend to chew on their nails to find a balance. What starts off as harmless chewing can later become a ritualized act in stressful moments. In conventional medicine, nail-chewing is also called onychophagy. "In many cases, nail biting is a harmless and time-limited habit that sets itself back on its own," Ulrich Gerth, chairman of the Federal Conference on Educational Counseling (Bke) in Mainz, recently stated. "The important thing is that parents do not become uneasy at the same time children chew nails." Before signs of countermeasures are taken at first signs, parents and educators should first observe the behavior of the children. The observers should ask themselves the following questions: When does the child chew on the nails, in which time periods and in which concrete situations?

Nail-chewing is a balancing strategy for stress and anger
The actual causes of nail biting can be very diverse. Many times there is an internal tension. Sometimes there is a lack of self-confidence behind the chewing. Other reasons are more acute and are mostly found in the child's social environment. Recent studies show that almost every second child in Germany suffers from school stress. School problems, grade stress and bullying by classmates could also be a major cause. Children chew on their fingers and distract themselves from the stress and annoyance. "They bring up other thoughts," says Bertram. In addition, chewing "relieves and reduces the inner restlessness".

Stop napping and chewing together
If chewing continues for a long time, parents should contact the school and the social workers. When it becomes clear that the child has acute emotional problems, parents should seek the conversation with their child. The conversation was not about chewing as such, but about the causative problems of the child. It is best if parents together with the child try to develop a suitable solution strategy. If the problems subsided, the children also find it easier to stop nail biting. Under no circumstances should children be put under pressure. House arrest or television ban are completely wrong approaches and put children back into further stressful situations. Better is a reward system, explains the social worker Bertram. "For every week without fingernail chewing there is a little attention. This can be an ice cream or a joint visit to the cinema. "Even a playful approach is recommended:" Maintain your child's nails with a bath or a great cream, "Gerth recommends. When another millimeter of fingernail is added, the child should receive praise and recognition. In particularly serious cases, children chew their fingernails down to their own flesh. At the latest then an outpatient therapy with a resident child and youth therapist is required. (Sb)