Specific and general facets of hoarding: A bifactor model

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Hoarding disorder is often viewed as multidimensional, with factors like difficulty discarding, excessive clutter, and excessive acquisition.
• Previous models show overlap and lack of discriminant validity, questioning the adequacy of correlated factors approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the factor structure of the Saving Inventory Revised (SIR) in a large, non-selected clinical sample.
• To determine if a bifactor model provides a better fit for hoarding constructs than traditional correlated factors models.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a large non-selected clinic sample (N=490).
• Analyzed the factor structure of the Saving Inventory Revised (SIR) using a bifactor model.
• Investigated the relationships between hoarding factors and depression facets.

Main Results:

• A bifactor model, including a general Hoarding factor and orthogonal factors for Urge-Related Acquiring, Distress-Related Acquiring, Difficulty Discarding, and Clutter, best fit the data.
• The general Hoarding factor showed associations with various depression facets.
• Specific hoarding factors exhibited differential relationships with depression, indicating distinct emotional motivations for acquiring behaviors.

Conclusions:

• Hoarding behavior is best understood through a bifactor model that accounts for a general hoarding tendency and specific, orthogonal factors.
• Acquiring behaviors in hoarding are driven by both positive (urge-related) and negative (distress-related) emotions.
• Both general and distinct hoarding factors are crucial for accurately contextualizing hoarding behavior and its relationship with mental health conditions like depression.