The Association between Age and Experienced Emotions in Hoarding Disorder

Objectives: Hoarding disorder (HD) is conceptualized as a fear-based disorder and exposure to sorting/discarding possessions is a core part of treatment. However, there has been no investigation of age-related differences in emotional reaction to sorting. The objective of this study was to explore the association between age and affective response during a sorting task. Methods: Forty-nine adults with HD completed a standardized sorting task. Participants reported their current emotion before and after the sorting task and reported their subjective distress throughout the task. Results: Older participants reported significantly lower distress ratings. Only 43% of participants reported fear prior to the task and 22% reported fear after the task. The probability of reporting fear before and after the task decreased significantly with age. Conclusions: Fear may not be the emotion experienced when discarding items, particularly for older adults with HD. Future work should focus on mechanisms of action in HD treatment.

Automated summary

This study explored the association between age and affective response during a sorting task among individuals with hoarding disorder, finding that older participants reported significantly lower distress ratings and the probability of reporting fear before and after the task decreased significantly with age. Fear may not be the predominant emotion experienced when discarding items, particularly for older adults with hoarding disorder.