SCAMP: development of a test of hair-pulling cues

Trichotillomania (TTM) is a chronic hair-pulling disorder. Previously used interventions including Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Habit Reversal Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy have not been able to fully address the heterogeneity in presentation and needs of individuals with TTM. Comprehensive Behavioral (Comb) Model of TTM, an alternative TTM intervention, aims to address the heterogeneous presentation of TTM through targeting the various antecedents of hair-pulling (5 domains Sensory, Cognitive, Affective, Motoric, Place - SCAMP). This study aims to develop a standardized cue-based assessment for TTM to further allow for rigorous empirical testing of the ComB Model and for use with other TTM interventions as needed. Study 1 included a priori work on test content and empirical testing of 27 provisional items with respondents (N = 277, M age = 35.17; SD = 12.73; 97.1% Female). The subscales were moderately interdependent and based on sub-scale and item-level findings, some new items were added to the scale, some items were deleted, and a 60-item scale was developed. Study 2 (N = 184; M age= 35.53; SD = 12.12; 90.5% Female) aimed at evaluating the 60-item scale through item analyses and retest reliability (2 months) and resulted in a final 49-item assessment. This is the first study to develop and empirically test the cue-based hair pulling assessment that will allow for a more robust testing of the ComB model. Implementation challenges and areas of future research are also explored.