Journal
BEHAVIOUR RESEARCH AND THERAPY
Volume 46, Issue 3, Pages 334-344Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2007.12.008
Keywords
hoarding; family; obsessive-compulsive disorder; saving; family attitudes; patient rejection
Categories
Funding
- NIMH NIH HHS [MH068007, R01 MH074934, R01 MH068008, R01 MH068007, R21 MH068539, R01 MH074934-01A1] Funding Source: Medline
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Compulsive hoarding, the acquisition of and failure to discard large numbers of possessions, is associated with substantial health risk, impairment in functioning, and economic burden. Despite clear indications that hoarding has a detrimental effect on people living with or near someone with a hoarding problem, no empirical research has examined these harmful effects. The aim of the present study was to examine the burden of hoarding on family members. Six hundred sixty-five family informants who reported having a family member or friend with hoarding behaviors completed an internet-based survey. Living with an individual who hoards during childhood was associated with elevated reports of childhood distress and family strain. Family members reported high levels of patient rejection attitudes, suggesting high levels of family frustration and hostility. Rejecting attitudes were predicted by severity of hoarding symptoms, the individual's perceived lack of insight into the behavior, and having lived in a cluttered environment during childhood. These results suggest that compulsive hoarding adversely impacts not only the hoarding individual, but also those living with them. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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